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BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 
OF    NORTH    CAROLINA 

OLD  NORTH  STATE"  EDITION 

THIS  EDITION  IS  STRICTLY 
LIMITED  TO  SEVEN  HUNDRED 
AND  FIFTY  REGISTERED  AND 
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From  Colonial  Times 
to  the  Present 


Editor-in-Chiej^ 

Samuel   A^  Ashe 


VOLUME   V 


Charles    L.  Van    Noppen 

PUBLISHER 

Greensboro,  N.  C. 
MCM  VI 


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Advisory  Board vii 

Contents ix 

Portraits xiii 

G)NTRIBUTORS XV 

^Allen,  Eleazar I 

Belo,  Alfred  H 8 

Blue,  John 14 

Boyd,  Adam 18 

Bruton,  John  Fletcher 23 

Butler,  John 29 

Buxton,  Jarvis 38 

Buxton,  Ralph  P 41 

Buxton,  John  Cameron 46 

Carr,  Lewis  Albert 53 

Carteret,  Peter 59 

Catch  MAID,  George 63 

Cleveland,  Benjamin 69 

Clinton,  Richard       .     .  • 74 

Cox,  Orlando  R 79 

Dickson,  William 85 

Fanning,  David 90 

Forney,  Peter 98 

Forsyth,  Benjamin 102 


X  CONTENTS 


Gore,  Joshua  Walker 107 

Gray,  Julius  Alexander no 

Hall,  John 117 

Hamilton,  John 121 

Hassell,  Gushing  Biggs 124 

Hassell,  Sylvester 129 

Hawkins,  Philemon,  Sr 135 

Hawkins,  Philemon,  Jr. 139 

Hawkins,  Benjamin 144 

Hawkins,  William 154 

Hawkins,  John  D 160 

Hawkins,  Alexander  Boyd 164 

Hawkins,  William  J 169 

Jackson,  Andrew 174 

Jenkins,  John 183 

Johnston,  Gabriel 187 

King,  William  R 194 

McAden,  Rufus  Yancey 198 

Maffitt,  John  Newland 203 

McIvER,  Charles  Duncan 212 

McIvER,  John  McMillan 230 

Mangum,  Willie  Person 236 

Mangum,  Willie  Person,  Jr 258 

Mangum,  Priestley  Hinton,  Sr 263 

Metts,  James  Isaac 267 

Moore,  Bartholomew  Figures 275 

Morgan,  Samuel  Tate 287 

Pearson,  Richmond  M 295 

PiTTMAN,  Thomas  Merritt 310 

Polk,  Thomas 316 

Poteat,  William  Lxduis 321 


CONTENTS  xi 


Pratt,  Joseph  Hyde       •. 327 

Reinhardt,  Robert  Smith 333 

Rex,  John 339 

Ricks,  Robert  Henry 342 

Royster,  Frank  Sheppard 345 

RuFFiN,  Thomas 350 

RuFFiN,  Thomas,  Jr. 360 

Skinner,  William 367 

Stanly,  Edward 370 

Starkey,  John 379 

Stockard,  Henry  Jerome 383 

Sumner,  Jethro 395 

Taylor,  John  Lxjuis 402 

Thompson,  George  Warren 407 

Van  Noppen,  Leonard  Charles 412 

Walker,  Henderson 422 

Watkins,  William  Henry 426 

Weeks,  Stephen  Beauregard 433 

Whitehead,  Marcellus 442 

Whitehead,  John 446 

Whitehead,  Richard  Henry 449 

Whitehead,  William  Henry 452 

Williamson,  Hugh 458 

Williams,  Benjamin 467 

Wilkes,  John  . 473 

WiNBORNE,  Benjamin  Brodie 480 

WiTHERSPOON,  John 487 

Wright,  Richard  Harvey 493 


McIvER,  Charles  D Frontispiece 

Belo,  Alfred  H facing  8 

Blue,  John *'  14 

Bruton,  John  F *'  23 

Buxton,  Jarvis "  38 

Buxton,  Ralph  P *'  41 

Buxton,  John  Cameron *'  46 

Carr,  Lewis  Albert "  53 

Cox,  Orlando  R "  79 

Gore,  Joshua  Walker "  107 

Gray,  Julius  Alexander "  no 

Hassell,  Gushing  Biggs "  124 

Hassell,  Sylvester "  129 

Hawkins,  Philemon,  Jr "  139 

Hawkins,  Benjamin "  144 

Hawkins,  William '*  154 

Hawkins,  John  D **  160 

Hawkins,  Alexander  Boyd "  164 

Hawkins,  William  J "  169 

McAden,  Rufus  Yancey "  198 

McIvER,  John  McMillan *'  230 

Mangum,  Willie  Person "  236 

Mangum,  Willie  Person,  Jr "  258 


xiv  PORTRAITS 


Mangum,  Priestley  Hinton,  Sr, facing  263 

Metts,  James  Isaac "  267 

Moore,  Bartholomew  Figures "  275 

Morgan,  Samuel  Tate "  287 

Pearson,  Richmond  M "  295 

Pittman,  Thomas  Merritt "310 

Poteat,  William  Louis "321 

Pratt,  Joseph  Hyde "  327 

Reinhardt,  Robert  Smith "  333 

Ricks,  Robert  Henry "  342 

RoYSTER,  Frank  Sheppard "  345 

RuFFiN,  Thomas "  350 

Stockard,  Henry  Jerome "  383 

Thompson,  George  Warren "  407 

Van  Noppen,  Leonard  Charles "  412 

Watkins,  William  Henry "  426 

Weeks,  Stephen  Beauregard "  433 

Whitehead,  Marcellus "  442 

Whitehead,  John "  446 

Whitehead,  Richard  Henry "  449 

Whitehead,  William  Henry "  452 

Wilkes,  John "  473 

WiNBORNE,  Benjamin  Brodie "  480 

Wright,  Richard  Harvey "  493 


Samuel  A.  Ashe  Theo.  F.  Kluttz 

Richard  H.  Battle,  A.B.,LL.D.Patrick  R.Law,  A.B.,B.D.,D.D. 

G.  Samuel  Bradshaw,  A.M.       M.  L.  Lawrence 


John  C.  Buxton 
Joseph  P.  Caldwell 
J.  B.  Carlyle,  A.m. 
Collier  Cobb,  A.M. 
R.  D.  W.  Connor,  Ph.B. 


James  H.  Myrover 
Frank  Nash 

Louis  Julien  Picot,  M.D. 
Thomas  M.  Pittman 
Edward  W.  Sikes,  Ph  D. 


Robert  P.  Dick,  A.M.,LL.D.    William  C.  Smith,  A.B. 


Benjamin  F.  Dixon 

Al  Fairbrother 

Robert  B.  Glenn 

J.  G.  dE  R.  Hamilton,  A.M. 

Marshall  De  L.  Haywood 

George  Howe,  Ph.D. 


James  H.  Southgate,  A.B. 
Leonard  C.  Van  Noppen,  A.M. 
Francis  P.  Venable,  Ph.D. 
Stephen  B.  Weeks,  Ph.D.,LL.D. 
George  Stockton  Wills,  A.M. 
Robert  W.  Winborne,  A.B. 


Thos.H.Hume,A.M.,D.D.,LL.D.Francis  D.  Winston,  A.B. 
James  McNeill  Johnson  William  A.  Withers,  A.M. 


ELEAZAR  ALLEN 

[HE  subject  of  this  sketch,  Eleazar  Allen,  for 
some  fifteen  years,  during  a  most  interesting 
period  of  the  development  of  the  Province  of 
North  Carolina,  played  an  important  part  in 
public  affairs.  Not  only,  as  stated  on  his  tomb- 
stone, "did  God  endow  him  with  an  admirable 
imderstanding,  and  his  parents  with  a  liberal  education,  of  both 
of  which  he  made  the  most  excellent  use,"  but  by  his  family  con- 
nections and  his  public  employment  he  exerted  a  strong  influence 
on  the  course  of  events. 

He  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1692,  of  English  parentage. 
His  grandfather.  Reverend  John  Allen,  of  Norfolk,  England,  was 
educated  at  Cambridge,  where  he  took  B.A.  in  161 5,  and  M.A. 
in  1 619.  In  1637  he  came  to  America  and  organized  the  church 
at  Dedham,  Massachusetts,  which  he  served  as  minister  until  his 
death  in  1671.  One  of  his  sons.  Doctor  Daniel  Allen,  graduated 
at  Harvard  in  1675,  was  librarian  of  the  college,  and  took  the 
degree  of  M.A.  in  1678.  He  married  Mary  Anna  Bendall,  and 
had  by  her,  among  other  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
After  the  death  of  Doctor  Allen  his  widow  married  Samuel 
Lynde.  In  her  will  Mrs.  Lynde  makes  a  bequest  "unto  my  lov- 
ing son,  Eleazar,  of  Carolina."  It  is  interesting  to  note  also  that 
a  sister  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Katherine  Allen,  married 
Josiah  Willard,  and  bequests  were  likewise  made  by  Mrs.  Lynde 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


to  her  Willard  grandchildren.  Circumstances  led  the  footsteps 
of  young  Allen  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  he  became 
a  merchant,  and  there  at  some  time  prior  to  1722  he  married 
Sarah  Rhett,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Rhett,  who 
was  born  June,  1697.  Another  daughter  of  Colonel  Rhett  mar- 
ried "King"  Roger  Moore  of  the  Cape  Fear,  and  a  niece  of  Mrs. 
Allen  married  Thomas  Franklin,  an  officer  of  the  British  Navy, 
and  another  niece  married  William  Dry  of  the  Cape  Fear. 

In  1723  Colonel  Maurice  Moore  determined  on  making  the  set- 
tlement of  the  Cape  Fear,  and  sought  to  interest  his  connections 
in  South  Carolina,  as  well  as  those  in  the  Albemarle  region,  in  this 
enterprise.  Roger  Moore  and  his  family  were  among  the  first  to 
move,  and  Mr.  Allen  agreed  to  join  them  in  their  new  home.  In 
1725  he  obtained  a  grant  for  land  on  the  Cape  Fear  adjoining  the 
Orton  plantation,  where  Roger  Moore  built,  and  there  later  he 
made  his  residence,  calling  his  plantation  Lilliput. 

It  appears,  however,  that  Mr.  Allen,  about  that  time,  returned 
to  Massachusetts  and  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1726.  He  was 
then  about  thirty-four  years  of  age;  and  possibly  it  may  have 
happened  that  he  had  left  Harvard  in  his  youth  without  graduat- 
ing, and  he  now  returned  merely  to  finish  his  course,  perfect  him- 
self in  some  lines,  and  obtain  his  degree.  Coming  back  to 
Charleston,  he  was  for  some  time  Clerk  of  the  Assembly  of  the 
Province  of  South  Carolina,  and  he  remained  in  his  old  home 
until  1734.  It  was  expected,  however,  that  he  would  take  up  his 
residence  on  the  Cape  Fear  earlier,  and  in  August,  1730,  when 
Burrington  was  appointed  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  he  rec- 
ommended Allen  to  be  one  of  his  Council ;  and  he  was  appointed, 
but  he  remained  in  South  Carolina  and  was  not  sworn  in  as  a 
Councillor  until  November  2,  1734.  Governor  Johnston  arrived 
at  the  Cape  Fear  on  October  27th ;  on  November  6th  Governor 
Burrington  met  the  General  Assembly  at  Edenton,  and  most  of 
the  Council  were  in  attendance  at  that  place.  On  November  2d, 
Halton,  Allen  and  Roger  Moore,  being  at  Brunswick,  formed  a 
Council,  and  Governor  Johnston  exhibited  his  commission  and 
began  his  administration.    On  the  6th  of  March  following  Gov- 


ELEAZAR  ALLEN 


emor  Johnston  appointed  Allen  Receiver-General  of  the  Province 
in  the  place  of  John  Hamerton,  who  was  then  absent  from  the 
Province;  and  a  fortnight  later  he  appointed  him  an  assistant 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  and  directed  that  the 
first  term  of  that  Court  should  be  held  at  Newton  on  the  following 
13th  of  May;  and  he  also  appointed  Allen  one  of  the  Justices  of 
New   Hanover  Precinct.     Mr.  Allen's  business  qualifications,  as 
well,   perhaps,  as  his  fine  education,  at  once  gave  him  prom- 
inence in  public  matters ;  and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  General 
Assembly,  he  and  Secretary  Nathaniel  Rice  were  appointed  a 
committee  of  the  Council  to  draw  up  an  address  to  the  Governor ; 
and   the  General  Assembly  recommended  to  the  Governor  and 
Council  his  appointment  as  Treasurer  of  New  Hanover  Precinct 
in  the  place  of  John  Baptista  Ashe,  who  had  recently  died,  and 
the  appointment  was  made. 

The  matter  of  the  dividing  line  between  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina had  long  been  unsettled.  Originally  the  Lords  Proprietors 
intended  to  establish  a  number  of  counties  in  Carolina,  each  with 
its  local  government,  but  all  under  a  general  Parliament.  At  the 
very  first  there  were  established,  with  undefined  limits,  the  coun- 
ties of  Albemarle,  Clarendon  and  Craven.  At  length,  about 
1689,  when  Ludwell  was  appointed  Governor,  his  commission 
gave  him  authority  "over  that  part  of  our  Province  lying  north 
and  east  of  Cape  Fear."  Then  Bath  County  was  established  with 
undefined  southern  limits,  and  Clarendon  County  ceased  to  ex- 
ist, probably  in  1667  when  the  Cape  Fear  was  deserted  and  re- 
lapsed into  an  unoccupied  wilderness.  When  Carteret  Precinct 
was  established,  it  extended  south  to  the  limits  of  North  Caro- 
lina. The  South  Carolina  authorities  claimed  the  Cape  Fear 
River  as  the  boundary,  and  in  1692,  under  this  claim,  a  settlement 
had  been  projected,  if  not  actually  made,  on  the  Cape  Fear  River, 
and  a  grant  of  40,000  acres  to  Landgrave  Smith  had  been  located 
about  where  the  town  of  Brunswick  was  afterwards  built ;  and  in 
subsequent  years  other  South  Carolina  grants  were  located  on 
the  Cape  Fear  agreeably  to  this  claim  on  the  part  of  the  South 
Carolina  authorities.    But  Burrington,  who  was  interested  in  the 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


settlement  of  the  Cape  Fear  and  had  two   plantations   on    that 
river,  when  he  went  to  England  in  1729,  on  the  purchase  of  Caro- 
lina by  the  Crown,  to  push  his  claim  for  appointment  as  first 
Royal  Governor,  exerted  himself  to  have  the  limits  of  the  Prov- 
ince extended  further  to  the  southward.    In  1732,  learning  that 
some  South  Carolina  patents  were  being  located  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Wackamaw  River,  on  lands  formerly  occupied  by  the  Con- 
garee  Indians,  he  advertised  in  the  newspaper  at  Charleston  that 
that  section  was  in  North  Carolina.     Burrington's  instructions 
were  that  "the  line  should  begin  at  the  sea  thirty  miles  distant 
from  the  Cape  Fear,  and  should  run  at  the  same  distance  from 
that  river  to  its  head,  and    thence    a    due    west   course,  unless 
Wackamaw  lie  within  thirty  miles  of  the  Cape  Fear  River ;  then 
Wackamaw  was  to  be  the  boundary."    A  question  arose  whether 
that  meant  the  mouth  of  Wackamaw,  or  any  part  of  that  stream. 
In  consequence  of  the  representations  made  by  Burrington  and 
his  strenuous  endeavors  to  advance  the  interests  of  North  Caro- 
lina, it  was  ordered  that  each  province  should  appoint  commission- 
ers to  agree  upon  a  proper  line  subject  to  the  King's  approval. 
Eleazar  Allen  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  on  the 
part  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  commissioners  met  at  his  house 
at  Lilliput  on  the  23d  of  April,  1735,  and  agreed  that  a  due  west 
line  should  be  run  from  Cape  Fear  along  the  seacoast  for  thirty 
miles,  and  then  proceed  northwest  to  the  35th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  etc. 

One  week  later  the  commissioners  began  to  run  the  line,  and 
the  thirty  miles  carried  them  to  ten  poles  from  the  mouth  of  Little 
River.  In  September  they  ran  the  line  seventy  miles  to  the  north- 
west. In  1737  the  line  was  extended  in  the  same  direction  twenty- 
two  miles;  and  from  there  in  1764  it  was  extended  due  west  to 
Waxhaw  Creek.  This  line  was  very  much  more  favorable  to 
North  Carolina  than  any  that  had  been  previously  proposed.  In- 
deed the  South  Carolinians  had  contended  for  a  boundary  that 
would  have  thrown  into  their  province  the  greater  part  of  west- 
em  Carolina.  It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Allen  and  his 
associates  on  that  occasion  rendered  the  Province  excellent  service. 


ELEAZAR  ALLEN 


Indeed  he  was  well  qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  that  devolved 
upon  him  in  this  and  other  employments  of  a  public  nature,  for  he 
was  without  doubt  a  man  of  superior  parts  and  fine  attainments. 
That  the  Cape  Fear  could  even  at  that  early  date  boast  a  society 
not   surpassed  in  refinement    elsewhere  in  America  is  a  matter 
highly  interesting  and  creditable.     Not  only  were  many  of  the 
first  settlers  men  of  wealth  and  ability,  but  there  was  a  diffusion 
of  education  that  imparted  to  the  settlement  a  notable  character ; 
and  Mr.  Allen  himself  was  an  example   of   this    culture.     His 
library,  according  to  the  inventory  before  us,  contained  some  300 
English  and  Latin  volumes,  including  the  standard  works  of  that 
era :  the  classics,  poetry,  history,  travels  and  works  of  fiction,  as 
well  as  of  a  religious  nature.    Besides,  there  were  fifty  volumes 
in  French:  history,  travels,  science,  poetry,  and  French  transla- 
tions of  Latin  authors.    The  last  book  in  the  catalogue  is  "La  Vie 
de  Jesus  Christ." 

On  a  careful  examination  of  this  inventory  of  a  library  in  use 
on  the  Cape  Fear  at  that  early  period,  one  can  but  admire  the  fine 
taste  and  culture  that  led  to  such  a  collection  of  standard  litera- 
ture. It  is  an  evidence  of  a  refinement  and  an  elevation  of  senti- 
ment that  reflects  high  credit  on  the  community. 

Moreover,  a  similar  illustration  is  found  in  the  will  of  Mrs. 
Allen:  "I  ordain  that  the  said  Mrs.  De  Rossett  and  Mrs.  Dry 
have  the  care  of  all  my  private  papers.  ...  As  to  all  my 
other  letters  to  and  from  my  several  correspondents  abroad  and 
in  America,  as  also  what  miscellaneous  I  have  of  the  amusing 
kind,  I  commit  them  entirely  to  their  discretion;"  from  which 
it  would  appear  that  Mrs.  Allen  employed  herself  at  times  in 
literary  composition. 

Mr.  Allen's  worth  was  appreciated  by  Governor  Johnston,  and 
in  addition  to  his  duties  as  Councillor  and  Judge  he  was  Receiver- 
General  of  the  province,  having  the  duty  of  collecting  the  quit 
rents. 

This  last  employment  entailed  no  end  of  trouble  and  finally 
brought  him  into  financial  difficulty.  The  original  practice,  under 
the  Act  of  171 5,  was  to  pay  these  rents  in  commodities  at  a  fixed 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


valuation  on  the  plantations.  The  authorities  now  undertook  to 
change  that  practice,  and  a  conflict  ensued  that  led  to  the  cessation 
of  payments.  An  Act  was,  however,  passed  in  1737  that  com- 
promised the  points  at  issue,  and  all  difficulties  would  have  been 
removed  if  that  Act  had  not  been  disallowed  in  England ;  but  it 
was  annulled,  and  there  was  trouble  in  collecting  the  rents.  Mr. 
Allen  made  frequent  representations  as  to  these  matters,  but 
with  such  little  avail  that  after  his  death  a  claim  was  made  by 
the  Crown  against  his  estate  and  his  property  was  held  liable  for 
his  failure  to  collect  the  rents. 

Hardly  had  Governor  Johnston  gotten  warm  in  his  seat  as  Gov- 
vemor  before  he  became  interested  in  promoting  the  growth  of 
Newton,  later  called  Wilmington,  to  the  detriment  of  Brunswick, 
throwing  himself  in  conflict  with  the  gentlemen  who  had  settled 
in  the  older  town.  Thus  the  Governor,  along  with  Murray,  Innes, 
and  other  Wilmingtonians,  came  into  collision  with  the  Moores 
and  their  connections,  who  were  called  by  the  Governor's  faction 
"The  family."  Mr.  Allen  belonged  to  "The  family,"  and  there 
was  some  friction  between  him  and  the  Governor  until  that  matter 
was  finally  settled. 

On  the  nth  of  July,  1749,  Edward  Moseley,  who  was  Treas- 
urer of  the  Province,  died,  and  Mr.  Allen  at  the  succeeding  ses- 
sion of  the  General  Assembly,  October,  1749,  was  elected  treas- 
urer in  his  place.  But  he  himself  died  the  succeeding  January, 
and  at  the  next  session,  April,  1750,  John  Starkey  was  nominated 
by  the  Lower  House,  the  Council  proposing  another.  Starkey 
was  appointed,  but  that  was  a  beginning  of  the  controversy  be- 
tween the  two  Houses  over  the  right  to  appoint  a  treasurer,  which 
never  was  finally  settled. 

When  Burrington  came  over,  he  was  accompanied  by  William 
Smith,  then  appointed  Chief- Justice  of  the  Province.  A  year  or 
two  later  Smith  returned  to  England  and  Burrington  appointed 
Daniel  Hanmer  Chief-Justice  in  his  absence.  Smith  died  in 
1743,  and  Governor  Johnston  appointed  John  Montgomery  Chief- 
Justice.  Montgomery  died  in  1744,  and  Edward  Moseley  was 
appointed  to  succeed  him.    Enoch  Hall  seems  to  have  been  then 


ELEAZAR  ALLEN 


appointed  Chief- Justice,  perhaps  being  commissioned  by  the 
Crown.  In  March,  1748,  Eleazar  Allen,  Edward  Moseley  and 
Roger  Moore  were  appointed  Associate- Justices  of  the  Province 
by  the  Governor.  In  October  of  1749  Hall  was  acting  as  Chief- 
Justice,  but  on  the  i8th  of  December,  1749,  Eleazar  Allen  took 
the  probate  of  a  deed  as  follows:  "Personally  appeared  before 
me  Eleazar  Allen,  Chief- Justice  of  the  Province,"  etc. 

On  the  tombstone  of  Mrs.  Allen  is  an  inscription  reciting  that 
she  was  the  widow  of  Chief-Justice  Allen.     From  these  facts  it 
may  be  inferred  that  during  the  absence  of  Enoch  Hall,  the  Chief- 
Justice  of  the  Province,  towards  the  end  of  the  year  1749,  Eleazar 
Allen,  being  the  senior  Associate  Justice,  temporarily  filled  the 
dfice  of  Chief- Justice  by  appointment    of    the  Governor.     But 
Allen  did  not  long  live  to  enjoy  his  new  office.    He  died  Janu- 
^U  7f  1750-     On  his  tombstone  the  date  is  stated,  January  7, 
1749,  but  evidently  that  is  according  to  the  old  system  when  the 
year  began  on  the  25th  of  March  instead  of  on  January  ist;  for 
he  certainly  was  alive  in  the  Fall  of  1749.    On  his  tombstone  it 
is  recorded  that  "his  life  was  a  constant  course  of  piety  and  vir- 
tue," and  indeed  every  memorial  that  has  come  down  to  us  in- 
dicates that  he  was  held  in  high  esteem;  and  in  a  period  when 
there  was  much  jealousy  among  the  public  men,  there  was  no 
word  of  disparagement  recorded  against  him.     Mrs.  Allen  sur- 
vived her  husband  eleven  years,  dying  February  26,  1761.     She 
passed  her  widowhood  on  the  Lilliput  plantation,  but  appears  to 
have  made  two  voyages  to  England.    Having  no  children  of  her 
own,  she  felt  almost  a  mother's  affection  and  interest  in  her  nieces, 
the  daughters  of  Roger  Moore  and  his  wife,  and  of  Captain 
Franklin  and  of  William  Dry;  and  a  most  affectionate  remem- 
brance of  her  and  of  her  husband  was  long  cherished  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  connections  among  the  people  of  the  Cape 
Fear. 

The  writer  of  this  sketch  is  much  indebted  to  Mr.  W.  B.  Mc- 
Koy,  of  Wilmington,  for  the  use  of  his  collection  of  manuscripts 
in  the  preparation  of  this  sketch. 

5*.  A,  Ashe. 


ALFRED  H.  BELO 


^LFRED  H.  BELO,  soldier,  statesman  and 
journalist,  was  born,  May,  1839,  in  Salem, 
North  Carolina.  He  was  of  Moravian  stock, 
and  the  family  name  can  be  traced  back  to 
1620.  Seeking  a  home  where  they  could  wor- 
ship according  to  the  dictates  of  their  con- 
science, his  forefathers  located  at  Salem  in  North  Carolina,  where 
they  were  well  esteemed  by  their  associates.  Colonel  Belo's 
father  was  Frederick  Edward  Boehlo,  but  he  chose  to  drop  the 
Frederick  and  to  cut  his  last  name  to  Belo.  He  was  a  man  of 
good  business  qualifications,  owning  an  iron  foundry,  a  linseed 
oil  mill,  a  farm  of  some  four  hundred  acres,  and  a  wholesale  and 
retail  general  mercantile  store,  and  was  prosperous.  When  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  sufficiently  advanced  at  the  Moravian 
Boys'  School,  he  entered  the  Masonic  Institute  at  Germanton,  and 
from  there  he  passed  to  the  care  of  the  celebrated  Doctor  Wilson 
in  Alamance  County,  under  whose  tutelage  he  completed  his 
education. 

His  father  was  a  self-reliant  man,  who  managed  every  detail 
of  his  large  business  himself,  and  when  his  son  returned  from 
school  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  proceeded  to  train  him  as  his 
business  associate. 

In  i860,  when  he  had  just  attained  his  majority,  he  was  en- 
trusted with  the  responsibility  of  making  the  annual  purchases 


^yh^^^i±:^j^ 


>-..-.  r^-->. 


■  -^. 


V  .  "■■ 


ALI  R:  ^-   l{.   l;i;LO 


'!  ■  1 .'  >.    ^  'Ki'tT,     Nt::tL^i'i?n     i'*. 


^-  a<     1^   Ml. 


V.    iJ<VJ.    in     >:i 


•   •;    '\    nnnit"   c-m   he  tract'fl    bn- k    t' 

•  '..    a  !'■.':. c  wlu-re  they  v^'*.:l  1  \v  *-- 

'.:    t<>    tlh      (llCt:-t«S      of      t|--'ir      i^' >V' 

'  -i!    '^  '^'a:- ''1  in  \(»rtii  Car-'luia.  \\  i>  .v 

!>^     tl'v-'r    a  — <>ciaN'>.      Col  >nrJ    i*  ^1-  \. 

'.  .'fl    I'm.'- •^  .  I'lit    r,e  cb»,<('  U'    l^-'p  t[.'' 

•  !/t  '      to  IU-1  \     He  v.a>  a  r.\'  i    "-: 
^,  o\\i-//  an  iron    fo.ijuiry.  a  lip---"! 

'•    T  b'P'-'K'l  arrc>,  aiif]  a  wb' 'It-sal'/  aT--' 

st-'fc    ;,■  -'   \va>  [•r.'»>]M  n)i!S.     \Vh-"n  l':-.- 

V    *' ■  .  ntiv  a^'lvancc'l  a^  ^::e  Moi-a-  v-r. 

■  •    'pic  1 1 'Si  it  me  Ht  ^re'inanton.  :ii.-i 

.'»'  of  tiic  c(*l(.'!)ratc.l  Port  or  W'K   'v 

-     V  ^'--c    Urtelai;*'.-    \\(^    conu'loti'l    l.i-- 


•   man.  wl.o  iiini.ap:e^l  rv.Ty  'l.'lt;: 

.  and  •wh-'n   Irs  s  .n   rfi'irncd   iroi  - 

n   iX'  pfMCt-tMlcd  t(»  tiain  lii^:i  as  hi.-. 


'-:  pttaincd  his  iii<tK)r:U',  lu*  was  v^ 
'-  V  of  Iraki ni;   tlie  aiiiiual  |>urcl::ist 


.Ar^fz^^-c,^ 


ALFRED  H.  BELO 


at  New  York  for  the  supply  of  the  Belo  business,  having  ex- 
hibited unusual  capacity  as  a  business  man  with  so  short  a 
training. 

When  the  crisis  of  1861  came  on,  although  he  deprecated  the 
precipitous  course  of  the  Southern  States  that  seceded,  upon  the 
call  to  arms  by  North  Carolina  he  raised  a  company,  of  which, 
on  May  22,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  captain  and  which  be- 
came Company  D  of  the  21st  Regiment,  William  W.  Kirkland 
being  the  colonel. 

Captain  Belo  shared  in  the  fortunes  of  his  command  and  regi- 
ment, and  by  his  gallantry  and  bravery  won  the  applause  of  both 
his  men  and  his  superiors.  His  regiment  was  in  the  battle  of 
First  Manassas  and  was  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  routed  Federal 
Army  for  several  miles,  thinking  they  were  going  right  into  Wash- 
ington; but  to  their  amazement  they  were  ordered  to  arrest  the 
pursuit  and  retrace  their  steps.  The  regiment  later  was  assigned 
to  Trimble's  brigade  and  participated  in  the  historic  valley  cam- 
paign, performing  a  great  part  in  the  battle  of  Winchester,  where 
General  Banks  was  defeated,  routing  Shields,  and  indeed,  in  re- 
peated engagements,  sweeping  away  no  less  than  four  Federal 
armies,  and  then  striking  McClellan's  right  in  front  of  Richmond. 

On  the  reorganization  of  the  21st,  Captain  Belo  was  assigned 
by  Governor  Clark  as  adjutant  of  the  camp  of  military  instruction 
at  Raleigh,  and  in  the  Fall  of  1862  he  served  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
eral Hoke,  near  Winchester,  and  performed  staff  duty  at  Peters- 
burg, and  in  March,  1863,  he  was  commissioned  major  and  as- 
signed to  the  S5th  Regiment,  which  became  a  part  of  General 
Davis's  Mississippi  Brigade,  In  the  Spring  of  1863  this  brigade 
constituted  a  portion  of  Longstreet's  command  that  was  sent  to 
make  an  attack  on  Suffolk,  Virginia.  While  on  this  duty  a  differ- 
ence arose  between  Captain  Terrell  and  Captain  Cousins  on  the 
staflF  of  General  Laws  and  the  officers  of  the  55th  that  led  to  an 
interesting  episode.  The  former  had  stated  that  the  S5th  North 
Carolina  had  been  assigned  to  protect  a  battery  which  the  Federal 
forces  captured,  and  Colonel  Connally,  denying  that  statement, 
demanded  that  they  should  correct  their  report,  which  they  de- 


10  NORTH  CAROLINA 

dined  to  do.  Thereupon,  on  Colonel  Connally's  suggestion,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  field  officers  and  the  captains  of  the  55th  should 
take  the  matter  up  and  by  continued  challenges  fight  it  out  to  the 
bitter  end.  Agreeably  to  this,  Colonel  Connally  challenged  As- 
sistant Adjutant-General  Terrell,  and  Major  Belo  challenged 
Captain  Cousins.  The  meeting  between  the  four  officers  oc- 
curred at  the  same  hour  and  with  only  a  ridge  of  hills  separating 
them.  Cousins  selected  large-calibre  rifles  and  a  distance  of  forty 
paces.  Both  fired  simultaneously.  Major  Belo's  shot  passed 
through  Captain  Cousins's  hat,  and  Cousins's  shot  missed  Belo. 
Somewhat  dissatisfied  with  their  bad  shooting,  at  the  second  shot 
Belo  missed  Cousins,  while  Cousins's  ball  passed  through  Belo's 
coat  just  above  the  shoulder.  Before  their  third  shot,  the  friends 
of  Colonel  Connally  and  of  Captain  Terrell,  who  had  engaged  in 
an  effort  to  make  an  honorable  settlement,  succeeded  in  doing 
so;  and  Captain  Terrell,  becoming  satisfied  that  he  was  in  error, 
withdrew  the  original  cause  of  offence,  which  prevented  further 
hostilities  between  him  and  Colonel  Connally;  and  this  informa- 
tion was  communicated  just  in  time  to  prevent  the  exchange  of  a 
third  shot  between  Major  Belo  and  Captain  Cousins.  The  affair 
was  then  amicably  settled. 

Major  Belo's  coolness  and  courage  were  unsurpassed.  From 
Gettysburg,  where  he  was  in  command  in  the  railroad  cut,  down 
through  the  carnage  at  Cold  Harbor,  his  spirit  and  gallantry  and 
persistence  were  heroic.  At  Gettysburg  he  was  severely  wounded, 
and  there  received  his  promotion  as  lieutenant-colonel,  and  he 
was  again  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.  But  he  was  engaged  in  all 
the  great  battles  up  to  that  time,  although  because  of  his  wounds 
he  was  unable  to  serve  with  his  regiment  after  that.  The  his- 
torian of  the  55th  Regiment  says : 

"Colonel  Belo's  wound  was  in  the  arm,  half-way  between  the  elbow  and 
shoulder  joint;  the  bone  was  shattered  and  the  operation  of  re-section  was 
performed.  The  loss  to  the  regiment  was  irreparable.  He  had  been  with 
the  regiment  in  all  its  hard-fought  battles  and  had  the  absolute  confidence 
of  every  man  in  the  regiment.  He  had  a  genius  for  organization  and  ap- 
preciated every  detail  that  contributed  to  the  effectiveness  or  character 


ALFRED  H.  BELO  ii 


of  a  military  organization.  He  was  in  North  Carolina  at  the  time  of  Gen- 
eral Lee's  surrender,  and  he  reported  to  General  Beauregard  and  was  as- 
signed by  him  to  the  command  of  a  force." 

When  Johnston  surrendered  he  rode  off  to  join  the  army  of 
General   Kirby  Smith  across  the  Mississippi,  and  after  all  the 
Confederate  armies  had  surrendered,  he  pushed  on  to  Texas  on 
horseback,  intent  on  gaining  a  livelihood.  Taking    up    the  first 
work  that  offered,  he  taught  a  small  school  at  Galveston  for  some 
time,  but  soon  found  employment    with    the    Galveston  News, 
whose  owner,  Willard  Richardson,  quickly  appreciated  his  su- 
perior excellence  as  an  organizer  and  manager  and  proposed  a 
partnership.    Entering  upon  a  journalistic  career,  he  became  one 
of  the  most  successful  newspaper  men  and  one  of  the  greatest 
editors  of  the  South.    It  was  a  labor  vast  in  its  dimensions,  for 
the  people  were  accustomed  to  the  old  sentimental  Southern  way 
of  doing  business.     The  credit  system,  the  sensitiveness  of  the 
advertiser  and  subscriber  when  the  ordinary  rules  of  business 
were  applied  to  them,  made  the  management  doubly  difficult.    It 
not  only  involved  a  reform  in  the  office,  but  in  education  of  the 
people  to  proper  methods  of  dealing  with  the  newspaper.     But 
through  it  all  the  policy  outlined  by  the  new  manager  was  un- 
swervingly enforced.     Besides  the  change  in  business  methods 
he  introduced  new  purposes  in  the  editorial  conduct  of  the  jour- 
nal.   For  the  most  part,  the  Southern  journals  had  been  attached 
to  the  fortunes  of  individuals  and  sought  the  elevation  to  office 
of  those  politicians  who  they  preferred  should  be  honored,  nat- 
urally condemning  those  whose  views  were  antagonistic  to  the 
views  of  the  paper,  exploiting  the  virtues  of  friends  and  merciless- 
ly excoriating  foes ;  but  under  the  new  departure,  put  in  force  by 
Colonel  Belo,  his  paper  was  free  from    such    blemishes.     Ab- 
solute truth,  as  far  as  it  could  be  obtained,  in  the  publication  of 
the  news,  and  absolute  fairness  to  all  men,  were  the  cardinal 
principles  on  which  the  editorial  management  was  made  to  stand. 
The  struggle  was  great.    His  individual  labors  extended  through- 
out the  day  and  far  into  the  night.    But  they  were  not  without 
avail.    His  impress  was  recognized  by  the  people,  and  the  sterling 


12  NORTH  CAROLINA 

worth  of  his  paper  became  realized  by  the  public.  His  journal 
began  to  prosper.  Its  utterances  on  public  affairs  at  a  period 
when  conditions  and  situations  existed  that  had  never  before 
been  encountered  commanded  attention  and  respect.  Its  refusal 
to  become  an  organ  of  individuals  or  of  political  parties  called 
upon  it  the  anathemas  of  ambitious  men ;  but  it  was  always  sup- 
ported by  the  conservative  element  of  the  State,  which,  realizing 
the  mission  of  a  great  newspaper,  bulwarked  it  with  an  irresistible 
strength.  The  growth  of  the  commonwealth  was  great,  but  the 
paper  kept  step  with  step  in  its  advance.  It  became  a  great  power 
and  influence  which  was  wielded  for  the  progress  of  the  people 
and  the  advantage  of  the  State. 

The  immensity  of  Texas  prevented  the  daily  delivery  of  the 
Galveston  paper  to  its  subscribers  in  the  remote  sections.  It 
was  therefore  determined  to  establish  another  and  complete  paper 
at  Dallas  in  North  Texas,  where  the  immigration  into  the  State 
had  been  most  important,  and  the  Dallas  News  was  the  result. 
Both  papers  were  owned  and  managed  by  the  A.  H.  Belo  Com- 
pany. Correspondents  were  established  at  Washington  and  at 
Austin,  who  were  of  the  first  order  of  ability  and  were  loyal  to 
their  papers  and  to  the  State.  Wires  connecting  the  two  plants 
were  installed  and  the  new  experiment  in  the  newspaper  business 
was  entered  upon.  This  new  departure  in  journalism  eventuated 
in  new  conditions  that  had  to  be  met.  Special  trains  had  to  be  run 
to  convey  the  newspapers  either  to  other  localities  or  to  overtake 
or  connect  with  other  trains;  so  that  now  the  Galveston  News 
and  the  Dallas  News  dispatch  three  special  trains  daily  to  reach 
patrons  who  cannot  be  speedily  served  by  the  regular  mails  as 
established  by  the  Government. 

The  papers  grew  marvellously  in  wealth  and  their  progress 
was  marked  by  a  wider  range  of  influence,  which  they  exerted 
invariably  for  the  development  and  well-being  of  the  State.  Each 
newcomer  from  across  the  border  was  greeted  by  them  and 
quickly  learned  to  depend  on  them  for  his  daily  news.  The 
weekly  edition  grew  into  a  semi-weekly,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
paper,  not  devoted  to  special  lines,  has  a  larger  circulation. 


ALFRED  H.  BELO  13 


Colonel  Belo  indeed  had  the  true  idea  of  the  profession  of  a 
journalist.     He  discussed  matters  from  his  own  standpoint.    His 
newspaper  was  the  vehicle  to  the  public  of  his  own  views  on  the 
public   questions  of  interest  to  the  people.     Truth,  reason  and 
justice  were  interwoven  in  the  presentation  of  his  thoughts  and 
gained  the  respectful  consideration  of  the  better  element  through- 
out the  g^eat  State  of  Texas.    His  position  thus  became  of  the 
first  consequence,  and  he  exerted  an  influence  much  greater  than 
that  which  was  accorded  to  any  other  citizen  of  the  State.    Un- 
trained at  first  in  newspaper  management  and  in  the  vocation  of  a 
journalist,  fortunately  he  was  well  equipped  by  his  natural  char- 
acteristics and  by  the  business  qualities  which  had  been  developed 
under  the  methods  practised  by  his  father  and  during  his  trying 
experiences  of  the  war,  so  that  he  rose  equal  to  the  demands  of  his 
new  business,  and  promptly  and  effectively  solved  the  questions 
of  business  details  as  they  presented  themselves,  and  solved  them 
so  correctly  that- his  papers  have  long  stood  as  a  great  institution 
in  the  most  important  Southern  States. 

It  has  brought  him  not  merely  wealth  but  fame  and  power, 
which  he  enjoyed  and  used  for  the  advancement  of  his  State. 

At  length,  however,  failing  health  superinduced  by  his  old 
wounds  required  that  he  should  put  his  house  in  order,  and  under 
the  influence  of  the  affections  of  his  earlier  years  he  turned  once 
more  to  the  home  of  his  childhood,  and  in  April,  1901,  he  died 
at  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  and  was  buried  in  Salem,  North 
Carolina,  according  to  his  request,  amid  the  surroundings  of  his 
youth. 

In  1868  Colonel  Belo  was  happily  married  to  Miss  Nettie  En- 
nis,  of  Houston,  Texas.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  union: 
Alfred  H.  Belo,  Jr.,  who  worthily  succeeded  his  father  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  A.  H.  Belo  Company,  and  carried  the  business  on  to 
even  a  higher  degree  of  success  until  his  untimely  death  in  April, 
1906,  and  Jeanette,  who  married  Mr.  Charles  Peabody,  of  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts. 

5.  A.  Ashe. 


JOHN   BLUE 

HE  career  of  John  Blue  is  a  fine  exemplifica- 
tion of  success  achieved  in  life  by  native  North 
Carolinians  without  the  aid  of  friends  or  other 
influences  than  capacity  and  persistent  intelli- 
gent labor.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Que- 
whiffle  Township,  Cumberland  County,  on 
August  4,  1845,  and  so  is  now  just  threescore  years  of  age.  He 
was  the  second  son  and  fifth  child  in  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
while  his  father  was  the  youngest  of  thirteen.  His  parents,  Neill 
McK.  Blue  and  Eliza  Smith,  were  sturdy  Scotch  on  both  sides. 
His  grandfather,  John  Blue,  was  born  in  the  Isle  of  Jura  in  1765 
and  immigrated  to  America  in  early  childhood  with  his  father's 
family  and  settled  in  the  sandhills  of  Cumberland  County. 

The  Scotch  had  begun  their  settlement  on  the  Cape  Fear  as 
far  back  as  1734,  about  the  time  that  Governor  Johnston,  himself 
a  Scotchman,  came  to  this  colony;  and  the  migration  continued 
until  the  opening  of  the  Revolution.  The  causes  that  led  to  this 
movement  were  not  all  political,  but  the  industrial  condition  in 
their  old  homes  had  changed  towards  the  middle  of  that  century, 
and  life  in  the  New  World  opened  up  so  many  possibilities  to 
improve  their  fortunes  that  the  emigrants  gladly  availed  them- 
selves of  every  opportunity  to  come  to  America.  The  health- 
fulness,  the  salubrity,  the  equable  temperature,  and  the  unfailing 
water  supply  of  the  upper  Cape  Fear  attracted  the  hardy  Scotch- 
men to  those  parts,  where  the  record  is  that  many  of  them  have 
passed  the  century  mark,  and  as  strong  as  they  have  been  in  their 


r- 


/•y- 1 1  1 


1^ 


^    V    C 


" -A:.-:-. 


(^J^^^-  i^L^a^ 


JOHN  BLUE  15 


physical  constitution,  equally  remarkable  are  they  in  the  develop- 
ment of  high  character,  intelligence  and  sterling  worth.  The 
Highlanders  of  Cumberland  County  did  not  generally  enlist  in 
the  cause  of  American  Independence,  and  Peter  Blue,  the  father 
of  John  Blue,  mentioned  above,  was  allied  with  the  Tory  leaders 
of  that  region.  After  Comwallis  had  gone  north  and  Greene  had 
returned  to  South  Carolina,  the  Tories  became  very  active  on  the 
Cape  Fear.  On  one  occasion  when  Colonel  Wade  and  Captain 
Culp,  who  were  Whigs,  were  returning  to  their  homes,  a  band  of 
Tories,  with  whom  was  Peter  Blue,  fell  upon  their  camp  at  Piney 
Bottom  and  massacred  such  of  the  party  as  were  there.  To  punish 
them  for  this.  Colonel  Wade  and  Culp  collected  about  one  hun- 
dred dragoons  under  Captain  Bogan  and  raided  the  section  about 
Drowning  Creek,  and  ascertained  the  names  of  all  the  Tories  who 
were  in  that  affair  and  began  the  work  of  exterminating  them. 
Towards  the  end  of  their  expedition  they  reached  Rockfish  and 
came  to  the  house  of  Peter  Blue,  where  they  found  him,  and, 
also,  Archibald  McBride,  who  was  a  patriot  Whig.  Immediately 
both  of  them  were  shot,  McBride  unfortunately  being  killed  on 
the  spot,  and  Blue  badly  wounded. 

On  the  return  of  peace  these  Scotchmen  who  had  been  loyalists 
during  the  war  became  entirely  reconciled  to  the  triumph  of  those 
who  had  fought  for  independence ;  and  in  succeeding  generations 
all  those  partisan  differences  have  been  entirely  forgotten,  and 
the  families  of  those  who  participated  in  those  bloody  scenes  of 
partisan  warfare  have  largely  intermarried,  their  descendants 
reverencing  the  bravery,  spirit  and  courage  of  those  who  fought 
for  their  King  as  well  as  those  who  hazarded  all  for  independence. 
Mr.  Blue's  childhood  was  spent  in  moderate,  healthful  toil. 
His  parents  were  neither  rich  nor  poor,  but  occupied  the  happy 
middle  ground,  manhood's  cradle,  where  there  is  nothing  to 
waste,  and  no  actual  want;  a  typical  Scotch  couple  and  faithful 
prototypes  of  that  parent  pair,  where : 

"The  mother,  wi*  her  needle  and  her  shears, 
Gars  auld  claes  look  amaist  as  weel's  the  new — 
The  father  mixes  a'  with  admonition  due." 


i6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  sublime  faith  of  the  mother  and  the  sturdy  honesty  of  the 
father  have  left  their  imprint  uneflFaceable  on  the  character  of 
their  son. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Blue  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany B,  6th  Battalion,  Armand  L.  De  Rossett  captain,  and  ren- 
dered such  service  as  was  required  of  him  imtil  he  was  discharged 
with  Johnston's  army  at  Greensboro  in  May,  1865. 

Because  of  the  circumstances  of  the  war  Mr.  Blue's  education 
was  limited,  but  after  the  close  of  hostilities  his  educational  train- 
ing was  supplemented  by  one  or  two  terms  in  a  very  efficient  high 
school,  which  was  kept  at  that  time  at  Jackson  Springs  by  N.  D.  J. 
Qark,  and  he  profited  very  much  by  the  instruction  he  received 
at  that  institution. 

In  1867,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  Mr.  Blue's  battle  of  life  be- 
gan in  earnest.  He  had  at  that  time  a  capital  of  not  more  than 
$200;  but  so  prudent,  so  enterprising,  so  active  and  industrious 
was  he  that  every  year  brought  him  fresh  success  and  inspired 
him  with  hope  of  better  things  for  the  future.  He  became  actively 
engaged  as  a  turpentine  operator,  and  he  continued  in  that  busi- 
ness for  more  than  twenty  years,  branching  out  and  constantly 
becoming  a  more  important  factor  in  that  line  of  work.  The 
secret  of  his  success  was  that  from  the  first  he  determined  to  keep 
inviolate  all  his  obligations,  and  his  reputation  in  that  regard 
soon  secured  him  unlimited  credit,  which,  however,  he  has  ever 
been  chary  of  using.  To  this  he  added  an  extreme  care  at  all 
times  in  regard  to  the  details  of  his  business,  which  would  have 
assured  him  success,  even  without  that  intuitive  judgment  in 
crises  which  enabled  him  to  know  what  to  do  without  apparently 
having  to  take  the  trouble  to  think  it  out. 

In  1892  Mr.  Blue  chartered  and  began  to  build  the  Aberdeen 
and  Rockfish  Railroad,  running  from  Aberdeen  eastward  through 
a  belt  of  as  fine  yellow  pine  timber  as  ever  grew  in  the  world, 
large  quantities  of  which  he  had  the  foresight  to  purchase  in  the 
days  when  it  had  but  little  money  value.  This  enterprise  has 
proved  enormously  profitable,  and  the  railroad  has  been  extended 
until  it  now  forms  a  connecting  link  with  the  Atlantic  Coast  line. 


JOHN  BLUE  17 


a  few  miles  south  of  Fayetteville.  Besides  being  the  owner  of 
nearly  all  the  stock  of  this  valuable  railroad,  Mr.  Blue  has  quietly 
invested  his  earnings  in  large  tracts  of  timber  in  Georgia  and 
Alabama,  so  that  now  he  is  easily  the  wealthiest  man  in  Moore 
County ;  but  withal  he  is  as  unassuming,  easily  approachable,  and 
as  careful  of  the  rights  of  others  as  when  he  had  not  thought  of 
ever  gaining  this  distinction. 

In  1874  Mr.  Blue  married  Miss  Fannie  A.  Owen,  of  Cumber- 
land County,  and  to  this  marriage  there  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  other  six  still  remaining 
at  home  with  their  parents. 

In  1881  Mr.  Blue,  who  has  always  been  a  member  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic Party,  served  his  community  in  the  only  political  office 
he  has  ever  held.  He  was  elected  as  State  Senator  from  Cumber- 
land and  Harnett  Counties.  In  that  body  he  took  deservedly 
high  rank  because  of  his  business  qualities  and  information.  He 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  committee  on  the  State  debt  and 
rendered  efficient  and  valuable  service  in  that  connection;  and 
he  was  also  appointed  a  member  of  the  committee  on  claims. 
Among  his  fellow-members  were  some  of  the  best  men  of  the 
State,  and  he  established  himself  high  in  their  regard. 

In  his  church  affiliations  Mr.  Blue  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  he 
served  his  congregation,  Sandy  Grove  Church,  as  deacon  from 
1872  till  1890,  and  since  that  time  the  Bethesda  Church  as  ruling 
elder.  He  is  deeply  religious,  with  a  childlike  faith,  but  entirely 
free  from  intolerance  and  from  that  spirit  which  has  too  often 
caused  cruelties  to  be  committed  in  the  name  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace. 

Busy  a  man  as  Mr.  Blue  is,  he  is  never  too  busy  to  visit  the  sick 
in  person ;  and  his  many  acts  of  relieving  distressed  persons  by  his 
personal  ministrations,  which  are  always  done  without  ostenta- 
tion, attest  his  kindness  of  heart  and  human  sympathy  and  stand 
in  refreshing  contrast  to  the  tendency  of  some  wealthy  men  to 
purchase  a  reputation  for  human  kindness. 

/.  McN,  Johnson. 


ADAM  BOYD 


{DAM  BOYD  occupied  no  inconspicuous  place 
in  North  Carolina  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, as  well  as  before  and  after  that  war.  He 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  November 
25,  1738,  and  of  Presbyterian  antecedents, 
though  he  himself  later  became  connected 
(after  the  Revolution)  with  the  Church  of  England  under  its 
new  name — the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Boyd  was 
a  son  of  the  Reverend  Adam  Boyd  and  his  wife,  Jane  Craighead. 
In  January,  1764,  before  he  began  his  first  work  in  Wilmington 
as  an  editor  (or  "printer,"  as  editors  were  then  called),  Mr. 
Boyd  was  initiated  into  the  Masonic  fraternity,  probably  as  a 
member  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  now  No.  i,  which  had  been  chart- 
ered ten  years  prior  thereto  and  is  still  in  existence. 

It  was  on  October  13,  1769,  that  Mr.  Boyd  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury  at  Wilmington.  This  was  the 
second  paper  published  in  that  town,  and  its  editors  used  the 
presses  of  Andrew  Stuart,  whose  publication  was  called  the 
North  Carolina  Gazette,  Another  North  Carolina  Gazette  was 
published  at  New-Bern  a  little  later.  In  1767  Stuart's  paper  was 
discontinued,  and  this  left  the  field  occupied  by  the  Mercufy  alone. 
In  the  troublous  and  uncertain  days  preceding  the  Revolution, 
as  well  as  during  that  war,  Mr.  Boyd  was  a  firm  and  uncompro- 
mising foe  to  British  oppression,  and  his  paper  was  the  mouth- 


ADAM  BOYD  19 


piece  of  the  patriots  of  the  Cape  Fear  section  as  well  as  elsewhere 
in  North  Carolina.    Could  a  full  file  of  the  Mercury  be  obtained, 
it  would  settle  the  long-standing  controversy  about  the  Mecklen- 
burg Declaration  of  Independence  of  May  20,  1775.    What  pur- 
ported to  be  a  fac-simile  of  a  copy  containing  that  Declaration 
appeared  in  the  issue  of  Collier's  Weekly,  of  Philadelphia,  for 
July  I,  1905.    The  paper  from  which  this  fac-simile  was  made 
was  afterwards  examined  by  Dr.  Worthing^on  Chauncey  Ford, 
of  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  pronounced  by  him  a  "clever 
forgery."    Several  gentlemen  from  Charlotte,  who  were  deeply  in- 
terested in  proving  the  authenticity  of  the  Declaration,  also  ex- 
amined the  alleged  Mercury  and  were  of  the  same  opinion  as 
Doctor  Ford.    About  the  end  of  the  year  1773  Mr.  Boyd  married 
Mrs.  Mary  De  Rossett,  relict  of  Moses  John  De  Rossett,  who 
had  distinguished  himself  by  his  patriotic  action  while  mayor  of 
Wilmington  in  the  Stamp  Act  times,  but  he  died  on  Christmas 
day,  1767.     When  the  troubles  with  the  mother  country  broke 
out  afresh  in  1774,  Mr.  Boyd  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Colonel 
James  Moore,  and  otherwise  was  connected  with  leading  patriots 
on   the   Cape   Fear.     He   himself   was   an   ardent   patriot   and 
a  member  of  the  committee  of  safety.     He  served  with  Har- 
nett and  others  on  the  local  committee  of  correspondence,  and 
entered  with  enthusiasm  on  the  execution  of  measures  that  the 
situation  required.     Upon  the  opening  of  active  hostilities  with 
Great  Britain,  Mr.  Boyd  entered  the  Continental  Army  on  Jan- 
uary 4,   1776,  as  ensign  in  the  ist  North  Carolina  Regiment, 
then  commanded  by  Colonel  James  Moore,  his  brother-in-law. 
On  March  3,  1776,  Ensign  Boyd  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
lieutenant,  but  soon  thereafter — in  May,  1776 — resigned  his  com- 
mission.   Something  more  than  a  year  later,  Mr.  Boyd  re-entered 
the  service,  being  commissioned  chaplain  of  the  5th  Regiment  on 
October  i,  1777.    By  what  authority  he  then  acted  in  a  minis- 
terial capacity  is  not  positively  known.    In  his  younger  years  his 
religious  affiliations  were  probably  Presbyterian,  and  he  was  not 
ordained  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  until  after  the  war. 
In  May,  1775,  "Reverend  Mr.  Boyd"  presented  to  the    Pro- 


20  NORTH  CAROLINA 

vincial  Congress  at  Hillsboro  two  hundred  copies  of  the  pastoral 
letter  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  on  the  subject  of  the  war; 
and  it  is  thought  that  this  gentleman  was  Mr.  Adam  Boyd,  and 
at  that  time  he  was  probably  a  Presbyterian  Licentiate.  Hav- 
ing in  the  first  flush  of  patriotic  ardor  enlisted  as  a  soldier,  he 
later  appears  to  have  considered  it  more  seemly  that  he  should 
render  service  as  a  chaplain. 

On  August  i8,  1778,  Mr.  Boyd  became  brigade-chaplain.  Dur- 
ing his  service  he  went  with  the  army  through  its  terrible  north- 
em  campaign  in  the  Winter  of  1777- 1778,  and  served  on  a  number 
of  courts  martial,  as  well  as  in  other  military  capacities.  He  re- 
signed on  June  i,  1780. 

After  his  return  home  Mr.  Boyd  was  not  idle,  but  set  about  to 
devise  means  for  the  relief  of  suffering  among  the  American 
prisoners  at  Charleston.  On  June  3,  1780,  he  wrote  Governor 
Abner  Nash  as  follows: 

"As  soon  as  I  got  home  I  wrote  a  letter  to  General  Hogun,  requesting 
him  to  acquaint  me  of  the  wants  of  himself  and  his  fellow-sufferers,  that  I 
might  endeavor  to  supply  them.  I  took  the  liberty  of  assuring  him  that 
Your  Excellency  would  give  me  all  the  assistance  therein  that  was  in  your 

power As  I  am  very  certain  our  officers  are  in  great  want  of 

many  articles  of  clothing,  I  submit  it  to  Your  Excellency  if  it  would  not 
be  well  to  send  a  flag,  either  with  a  letter  to  know  their  particular  wants, 

or  with  such  articles  as  we  know  they  must  stand  in  need  of 

I  shall  most  cheerfully  go  in  with  the  clothing,  should  Your  Excellency 
think  proper  to  grant  me  a  flag,  for  I  think  it  my  duty,  as  a  servant  of 
the  States,  to  do  every  service  in  my  power ;  but  for  that  corps  it  is  more 
especially  my  duty  to  exert  myself  in  everything." 

In  the  same  letter  he  adds: 

"I  have  a  large  quantity  of  paper,  very  fit  for  cartridges,  both  small  and 
large.  Would  it  not  be  proper  for  the  Commissary  of  Stores,  or  some 
other  State  officer,  to  get  it  for  the  use  of  the  State?" 

On  June  5th,  a  few  days  after  this  letter  was  written,  Mr.  Boyd 
was  still  at  his  old  home  in  Wilmington. 

When  Craig  took  Wilmington,  Mrs.  Boyd  remained  at  her 


ADAM  BOYD  21 


home,  and  she  witnessed  the  cruel  treatment  of  Cornelius  Har- 
nett, who,  when  taken  in  Onslow  County  from  a  sick-bed  and 
exhausted  by  the  fatigue  of  his  journey,  was  brought  into  the 
town,  thrown  across  a  horse's  back,  like  "a  sack  of  meal."  Later 
she  herself  was  driven  from  town  by  the  British  commander,  and 
took  refuge  at  the  residence  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Moore,  on  the 
North  East;  and  once  that  house  was  bombarded  by  the  enemy, 
who  alleged  that  some  of  the  patriots  were  harbored  there.  When 
later  in  life  Mr.  Boyd  went  to  the  West,  she  did  not  accompany 
him.  Indeed,  during  the  last  years  of  her  life  she  was  afflicted 
with  total  blindness,  and  remained  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Toomer,  a  child  of  her  first  marriage.  Her  marriage  with 
Mr.  Boyd  was  without  issue. 

Just  after  the  Revolution  Mr.  Boyd  aided  in  organizing  the 
North  Carolina  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  that  order.  A  little  later  he  went  to  Georgia. 
On  August  18,  1788,  Mr.  Boyd  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood 
in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  by  the  Right  Reverend  Sam- 
uel Seabury,  Bishop  of  Connecticut,  and  for  a  while  was  rector 
of  St.  James's  Church  at  Wilmington.  He  had  remained  only 
a  short  while,  however,  when  the  poor  state  of  his  health  forced 
him  again  to  leave  Wilmington,  and  return  to  Georgia.  At 
Augusta,  in  the  last-named  State,  he  held  a  charge  from  1790  to 
1799.  His  health  there  was  poor  and  he  met  with  little  encour- 
agement. In  a  letter  written  to  Judge  Iredell  on  February  15, 
1792,  he  stated  that  he  had  sought  the  post  of  chaplain  in  the 
event  that  a  garrison  should  be  stationed  there. 

While  at  Augusta,  in  1799,  Mr.  Boyd  repulsed  from  the  com- 
munion table  a  woman  of  questionable  character,  and  this  gave 
rise  to  a  controversy  which  finally  caused  him  to  abandon  that 
place.  He  went  to  Tennessee,  and  was  at  Nashville  in  1800. 
Shortly  thereafter  he  went  to  Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  there  re- 
mained until  his  death,  on  March  7,  1803.  In  Natchez  he  found 
some  friends  from  North  Carolina,  and  their  society  was  a  source 
of  g^eat  satisfaction  to  him. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  afflicted  with  almost  every  physical  malady  that 


22  NORTH  CAROLINA 

human  flesh  is  heir  to  during  his  later  years — gout,  asthma,  lame- 
ness and  other  infirmities.    On  April  i8,  1800,  he  wrote: 

"I  shall  not  repine,  and  hope  to  preserve  such  a  sense  of  the  goodness 
of  God  as  shall  secure  for  my  mind  such  a  calmness  which  is  natural  to 
a  trust  in  that  Power.  Yet  with  grief  and  shame  I  confess  I  am  not  as 
tranquil  as  I  was.  Continual  disappointments  and  losses  I  now  fear  have 
an  influence  I  did  not  expect.  If  you  knew  all,  or  one-half,  you  would  say 
that  to  be  serene  under  such  a  mountain  requires  more  strength  of  mind 
than  is  commonly  the  lot  of  man.  Indeed,  I  do  not  think  it  attainable 
without  superior  aid.  Perhaps  I  failed  in  this  in  being  too  secure  or  too 
confident  in  myself;  the  first  I  think  the  cause:  as  to  the  last,  I  know  I 
have  no  strength.  I  am  too  thoughtless  in  everything ;  hence  all,  or  nearly 
all,  the  evils  of  my  chequered  life." 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


'(f>J 


JOHN  FLKTciii'/i::  r>;:i:  :<  ■' 


[)cihap.->  as  much  ];\    -l  c  •  ' 
cmhk  a^  bv  \\liat  ii.    h  .-"  • 
hib  cart-er  lias  hcen  t  t.«.  :  ». 
V  ^^|_j»,j>r*r-,!f     ^'^'^'^  i^ravtio-I.     Witli'i.t  :i 
i22j£5^®<S^    ^"'^^  ^^•^^'^  l»tc.--iic  ]-\  ^'.If-tra  . 
:.i   "  -i  v'J?urc«i    bcb-'la*-.     W'iihoiu    wrali'  ,   ■• 
:-"<t'/.l  c  Hin^rllor  of  iho  wxaltliy.     W'il^M  :.t  ' 
f.'-  •    's,  he  has  \v«>ii  *  »r  hirii'^'^lf  a  Iiijb  t  '  <•  i-  ' 


of   his   p(;« 


:•!  ' 


:  *aK.''-Ai<'  a^    tlu-iui^ 


.   r\    "b^taclrs  havt.   iv.j,>\  r>Xi>:h  :  •    '.  )  with   "  - 

-  '•  .,i:lc  .is^aip^t  tl>  m  •••  as  f'T.^cl  *'.l-  Ciiai.ir  .•,••' 

:   /T'.'i.  ♦.. m  '.>!   his  .ar.    \. 

I«'l\n  lilt   hcT  i»riit..t,  V  a^  l-r;!  at   W'cr  "..;...       "   .    . 
'.    "lit'..    ?\urlh    ^  ar"l'!K».    May    2(/.    I'-oi. 

r  >\i.'-'i' .In,  wivi  ..or.i;l:t  rclii^'c  in    \  ■    a:    i  tnar,  ,::•.•  •  •.  .> 

:-'   l'-an<"(    whi^h  tollDWc^l  tlu'  ri."'0.-..i     ;      T  i^-    I.  »  •  .  .s. 

>'n''.c,^  IP'::,  nf  <lecp  rcHi:u.u5;  :v'iir.^«.  :  .  •  vf.r  -.  '  .»:<!- 
V.  '.kniL^.  tl-cir  chaiaviori^tic^  liave  r^  i'm*'*;.-, -I  '  :  wr  \>  -  lity. 
'.  '  '•  nc\  iWuV^n's  father  \va>  I^ax'  i  l\as'!)v.r\  '".Mit.**:.  a  M.i'M"(iist 
p,\-a«'hfr  of  irorc  than  average  a]n!a\  I  .<m'--'  1  •  f  ,^r(-at  Cv'in- 
r:..  i;  ^cih*^.  <trcnc:;thened  aial  iro.MU,.  I  hy  (a-,  ^r  a'al  dili.i;cTit 
^1:m..  a  sT,.*akrr  of  fnroc  aii'l  •'  .<p.  .'■,..  .  a  j)raitical  Christian 
wi'Ja  'at  cant,  the  iiitiiiencc  of  rib  characV a'  aiui  hi\   left  a  di  ep 


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,    -piCOi 


JOHN  FLETCHER  BRUTON 

OHN  F.  BRUTON'S  success  has  been  marked 
perhaps  as  much  by  the  obstacles  he  has  over- 
come as  by  what  he  has  done.  In  either  case 
his  career  has  been  one  at  which  he  may  justly 
feel  gratified.  Without  a  collegiate  education, 
he  has  become  by  self-training  a  learned  lawyer 
and  a  cultured  scholar.  Without  wealth,  he  has  become  the 
trusted  counsellor  of  the  wealthy.  Without  help  from  influential 
friends,  he  has  won  for  himself  a  high  place  in  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  people.  Paradoxical  though  it  may  seem,  these 
very  obstacles  have  had  much  to  do  with  his  success.  In  the 
struggle  against  them  was  forged  the  character  which  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  his  career. 

John  Fletcher  Bruton  was  born  at  Wentworth  in  Rockingham 
County,  North  Carolina,  May  29,  1861.  His  ancestors  were 
Huguenots,  who  sought  refuge  in  America  from  the  persecutions 
in  France  which  followed  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 
Strong  men,  of  deep  religious  feelings,  home-loving  and  hard- 
working, their  characteristics  have  reappeared  in  their  posterity. 
Colonel  Bruton's  father  was  David  Rasberry  Bruton,  a  Methodist 
preacher  of  more  than  average  ability.  Possessed  of  great  com- 
mon sense,  strengthened  and  broadened  by  close  and  diligent 
study,  a  speaker  of  force  and  eloquence,  a  practical  Christian 
without  cant,  the  influence  of  his  character  and  life  left  a  deep 


24  NORTH  CAROLINA 

trace  upon  the  character  of  his  son.  Colonel  Bruton's  mother, 
Margaret  G.  Nixon,  died  while  he  was  an  infant.  His  father 
married  a  second  wife,  Jennie  V.  Mauney,  to  whom  the  child's 
training  was  committed.  She  gave  him  regular  duties  about  the 
house — cutting  the  wood,  working  in  the  garden,  feeding  the 
horse,  milking  the  cow — which  taught  him  early  in  life  the  mean- 
ing of  responsibility  and  the  value  of  methodical  habits.  In  more 
important  ways  than  this,  however,  the  character  and  influence 
of  the  step-mother  were  felt.  At  that  period  educational  ad- 
vantages were  limited.  The  ravages  of  Reconstruction  had  de- 
stroyed the  public  school  system  of  the  State,  which  had  not  been 
fully  restored. 

The  preachers  of  the  State,  however,  have  ever  been  warm  ad- 
vocates of  education,  often  preaching  its  importance  from  their 
pulpits,  and  they  have  managed  to  secure  for  their  children 
primary  training  at  least,  and  by  reason  of  their  deep  conviction 
of  its  importance  have  inspired  their  children  to  seek  academic 
training.  The  father  of  Colonel  Bruton  was  not  an  exception  to 
the  rule ;  he  was  poor,  but  by  sacrifices  he  was  able  to  secure  for 
his  son  the  advantage  of  attendance  on  private  primary  schools, 
and  what  with  the  generosity  of  certain  teachers  towards  preach- 
ers' children,  and  especially  the  faithful  and  devoted  efforts  of  a 
loving  step-mother,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  gained  a  fairly  good 
primary  training.  His  step-mother  was  an  ambitious  woman  of 
strong  character  and  fine  intellect,  and  it  was  under  her  persistent 
training  and  efforts  that  the  fire  of  ambition  was  first  lighted  in 
the  boy's  soul.  He  was  persuaded  to  believe  that  the  future  was 
pregnant  with  possibilities  greater  than  the  realities  about  him. 
She  assured  him  of  this  many  times  and  compelled  him  to  study. 
While  his  father  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Salisbury  District, 
North  Carolina  Conference,  and  a  resident  of  Statesville,  young 
Bruton  enjoyed  the  marked  advantage  of  attending  the  school  of 
J.  H.  Hill,  a  well-known  and  capable  teacher.  After  two  years 
here,  he  spent  two  years  at  the  famous  Bingham  School.  To  the 
admirable  training  received  under  Colonel  Bingham  he  attributes 
much  of  his  success.     By  this  time  his  ambition  had  turned  to- 


JOHN  FLETCHER  BRUTON  25 

ward  the  law,  but  having  to  pay  a  part  of  the  cost  of  his  years  at 
school,  he  of  necessity  had  to  defer  his  law  studies  until  the  debt 
could  be  cancelled. 

In  the  Fall  of  1881,  therefore,  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  Wil- 
son Public  School.  His  success  in  the  classroom  met  with  de- 
served promotion  in  June,  1883,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  schools.  After  a  successful  year's  work  as 
superintendent,  he  resigned  to  enter  the  Law  School  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  under  the  instruction  of  Doctor  John 
Manning,  one  of  the  greatest  law  teachers  the  State  has  pro- 
duced. In  the  Fall  of  1884  he  was  licensed  to  practise  in  the 
courts  of  North  Carolina,  and  settled  at  Wilson,  where  he  had 
made  many  warm  friends. 

Qosely  identifying  himself  with  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity. Colonel  Bruton  lost  no  opportunity  to  give  his  encourage- 
ment and  support  to  helpful  enterprises,  whether  industrial,  in- 
tellectual, or  religious.  His  community  interest,  his  ability  in 
conducting  his  clients'  causes,  his  fidelity  to  various  trusts  con- 
fided to  him,  won  his  way  into  the  confidence  and  good-will  of 
the  people.    From  the  first  success  in  his  profession  was  assured. 

In  November,  1887,  Colonel  Bruton  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie 
Tartt  Barnes,  daughter  of  John  T.  Barnes,  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizen  of  Wilson.  In  her  he  has  found  a  companion  who, 
sympathizing  with  his  ambitions,  has  been  to  him  a  constant 
source  of  inspiration.  Three  children  have  been  bom  to  them, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

In  1889  he  was  elected  captain  of  Company  F  of  the  2d  Regi- 
ment of  the  State  Guard.  After  three  years'  capable  service,  he 
received  a  commission  as  colonel  of  the  regiment.  The  military 
training  received  at  Bingham's  school,  added  to  natural  inclina- 
tions, made  him  one  of  the  most  efficient  officers  of  the  State 
Guard.  Though  he  was  strict  in  the  enforcement  of  discipline,  he 
was  popular  with  the  officers  and  privates,  and  when  he  resigned 
his  commission  seven  years  later,  he  left  the  2d  Regiment  with- 
out a  superior  in  the  State. 

As  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Colonel  Bruton  has  manifested 


26  NORTH  CAROLINA 

great  zeal  in  promoting  its  interests,  and  has  received  much 
honor  at  the  hands  of  his  fellows.  He  was  elected  grand-master 
for  1891  and  1892,  and  the  Odd  Fellows'  Orphan  Home  was  es- 
tablished at  Goldsboro  during  his  term  as  grand-master,  he  being 
among  the  first  advocating  it;  for  1892- 1893  he  was  grand-rep- 
resentative, and  again  for  1895  and  1896.  These  honors  came 
to  him  as  a  testimonial  from  his  fellow-members  of  his  devotion 
to  the  Order.  Colonel  Bruton  is  also  a  member  of  tfie  A.  T.  O. 
College  Fraternity. 

An  illustration  of  the  estimation  in  which  the  people  among 
whom  he  lives  hold  Colonel  Bruton  was  given  in  1895,  when  they 
elected  him  without  opposition  mayor  of  Wilson.  His  admin- 
istration was  conducted  with  much  courage,  tact  and  patience, 
and  was  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  confidence  placed  in  him. 
The  next  year  he  was  re-elected,  but  much  to  the  regret  of  his 
fellow-townsmen  he  was  compelled  to  resign  before  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term.  The  immediate  cause  of  this  step  was  his  elec- 
tion in  January,  1897,  as  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Wilson,  for  the  additional  duties  imposed  on  him  by  this  new 
trust  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  give  up  his  public  service.  In 
July,  1902,  the  Wilson  Savings  Bank,  afterwards  the  Wilson 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  was  organized,  and  Colonel  Bruton  was 
elected  president.  Both  banks  are  still  under  his  management, 
and  the  confidence  the  business  public  place  in  these  institutions 
attests  the  efficiency  of  his  services.  Colonel  Bruton  was  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  the  North  Carolina  Bankers'  Association 
and  served  as  its  president  in  1900  and  1901 ;  he  is  also  a  director 
of  the  North  Carolina  Home  Insurance  Company  at  Raleigh. 

Though  in  the  midst  of  an  exacting  and  constantly  growing 
private  business,  Colonel  Bruton  has  not  refused  to  give  of  his 
time  and  talents  to  such  public  service  as  demands  the  attention 
of  patriotic  citizens.  The  educational  interests  of  the  community 
and  State  have  always  had  a  strong  hold  on  his  attention.  In 
1901  he  accepted  the  chairmanship  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  Wilson  County  to  which  he  had  been  elected  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  North  Carolina.    During  the  same  year  he  obeyed 


JOHN  FLETCHER  BRUTON  27 

the  call  of  his  church  in  accepting  a  place  on  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Trinity  College.  In  1903  and  again  in  1904  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  execittive  committee.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  educational  progress  and  considers  the  call  to  such  places  of 
responsibility  as  a  call  to  service. 

In  politics  Colonel  Bruton  is  a  Democrat.  Though  he  has  never 
sought  office  at  the  hands  of  his  party,  his  advice  is  frequently 
sought  by  the  party  leaders  and  always  cheerfully  given.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  From 
boyhood  his  interest  in  church  affairs  has  been  active,  and,  though 
broad-minded  and  tolerant,  his  loyalty  and  devotion  to  his  church 
are  marked  characteristics. 

His  election  by  the  North  Carolina  Conference  of  1905  as  a 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  Southern  Methodism  to 
meet  in  Birmingham,  Alabama,  in  May,  1906,  was  an  expression 
of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  church,  and  is  an  honor 
worthily  bestowed  and  justly  earned  by  his  unvarying  course  in 
Ufe. 

Although  Colonel  Bruton's  career  has  not  been  one  in  which 
the  arts  of  oratory  are  cultivated  and  developed,  yet  he  has  de- 
livered several  addresses  both  in  and  out  of  the  State  that  have 
attracted  attention  and  brought  him  reputation  as  a  popular 
speaker.  His  ideas  are  always  clear,  and  he  presents  them  not 
only  in  eloquent  language,  but  in  an  engaging  and  elegant  manner. 
Particularly  was  an  address  delivered  before  the  Association  of 
the  Virginia  Bankers  in  1903  on  the  subject  of  "The  Country 
Banker"  admirably  conceived.  It  bore  evidence  of  his  being  a 
student  of  high  ideals  along  practical  lines,  and  merited  the  com- 
mendation bestowed  upon  it.  As  an  illustration  of  the  views  he 
sought  to  enforce,  we  reproduce  a  paragraph  that  at  the  time 
was  the  subject  of  high  compliment  in  several  banking  periodicals 
and  daily  papers: 

"The  banker  to  fill  his  place  and  meet  the  demands  laid  upon  him  should 
be  an  all-roimd  man ;  he  should  be  possessed  of  a  good  conscience,  clean ; 
he  should  enjoy  an  unobscured  vision  with  vocabulary  to  match,  clear; 
he  should  be  without  subterfuge,  candid;  free  from  the  gambling  spirit, 


28  NORTH  CAROLINA 

conservative ;  thoroughly  familiar  with  life  and  the  art  of  living,  practical ; 
careful  without  being  cowardly,  prudent;  familiar  with  the  truth  whereby 
to  convince,  persuasive;  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  bring  things  to  pass, 
persistent." 

Striking  in  appearance,  pleasing  in  address,  courteous  in  man- 
ner, Colonel  Bruton  possesses  the  power  of  attracting  and  con- 
ciliating men.  In  social  intercourse  companionable  and  sym- 
pathetic, in  business  affairs  firm  and  aggressive,  he  is  modest 
in  estimating  his  achievements.  Throughout  his  career  he  has 
made  it  a  gliding  principle  never  to  enter  into  any  undertaking 
half-heartedly.  Whatever  he  does,  he  does  with  his  whole  heart 
and  mind.  Hard-working,  thorough,  careful  in  details,  methodi- 
cal in  habits,  straightforward  in  his  dealings — these  character- 
istics are  the  secret  of  his  success.  Pure  in  private  life,  honorable 
in  all  public  relations,  his  life  and  character  are  an  inspiration 
to  men  who  have  an  uphill  climb  to  reach  success. 

R.  D,  IV.  Connor. 


JOHN  BUTLER 


fORTH  CAROLINA  has  ever  been  a  sectional 
State.  Much  of  the  history  of  the  State  is 
made  plain  by  this  fact.  The  first  settlers  came 
from  Virginia  into  the  Albemarle  region ;  the 

Ml    ■    ■  i^mi ^    Swiss  and  Germans  located  at  New-Bern;  the 

^^£j![2)^^^  Scotch  took  possession  of  the  Cape  Fear;  the 
Scotch-Irish  and  Germans  came  direct  from  Pennsylvania  to  the 
middle  of  the  State.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  fusion  had 
not  taken  place.  The  Scotch  along  the  Cape  Fear  still  spoke  their 
native  tongue  and  maintained  their  ancient  customs.  The  State 
was  thoroughly  clannish — especially  the  more  recently  settled 
parts.  The  people  were  accustomed  to  following  local  leaders. 
The  Moravians  had  clustered  around  Salem  and  had  not  fused 
with  their  neighbors. 

Shubal  Steams  had  made  a  settlement  of  Baptists  at  Sandy 
Creek,  and  these  had  their  leader.  The  same  was  true  of  the 
Jersey  settlement  on  the  Yadkin,  and  the  Irish  and  the  German 
communities  of  that  section. 

All  these  settlements  were  distinct.  Foote  in  his  sketches  of 
the  early  Presbyterian  churches  speaks  of  the  "Hawfield  con- 
gregation," and  describes  the  home  of  a  prominent  man  as  being 
on  the  "edge  of  this  congregation."  There  was  not  yet  in  the 
State  that  social  co-ordination  which  is  necessary  for  highest 
State  life.     The  result  was  that  when  the  Revolution  came  on 


30  NORTH  CAROLINA 

there  was  little  integral  action.  One  community  became  Whig 
and  another  Tory. 

Not  only  was  this  true,  but  the  system  of  government  tended 
to  the  formation  of  classes  and  parties.  The  government  was 
centralized.  Many  local  officers  were  appointed  by  the  central 
authority.  The  judiciary  was  not  local.  Not  only  the  judges, 
but  the  justices  of  the  peace,  received  their  authority  from  the 
Assembly.  The  clerks  of  the  courts  received  their  appointments 
from  the  Governor.  The  executive  officers  were  based  on  the 
same  models.  The  sheriffs  were  appointees  of  the  Governor  and 
looked  to  him  for  approval.  The  military  organization  at  the 
Revolution  was  similar ;  officers  of  the  county  militia  were  elected 
by  the  Assembly. 

Such  a  system  seems  to  indicate  centralization  and  integration, 
but  one  result  followed  that  hindered  such  a  tendency.  The  Gov- 
ernment could  and  did  do  little  for  the  scattered  settlements  of 
the  West.  They,  and  not  the  Government,  kept  a  watch  on  the 
Indian  and  protected  their  homes.  A  dislike  for  the  office-holding 
class  was  fostered.  This  feeling  prevailed  from  Chowan  to 
Anson.  The  Regulator  movement  was  the  most  dramatic  ex- 
pression of  this  feeling,  but  this  feeling  was  prevalent  in  nearly 
every  portion  of  the  State.  The  popular  party  was  opposed  to 
the  office-holding  party. 

John  Butler,  of  Orange,  belonged  to  the  office-holding  party 
and  lived  in  the  Hawfields  congregation  on  the  western  edge, 
"near  Judge  Ruffin's  Mill." 

He  was  sheriff  of  Orange  County  and  testified  before  the  As- 
sembly in  December,  1770,  that  he  had  found  much  difficulty  in 
performing  his  official  duties.  The  Regulators  were  opposed  to 
him.  Governor  Tryon  invited  the  sheriffs  of  several  counties 
to  appear  before  the  Assembly  and  bear  testimony  to  the  difficul- 
ties that  these  Regulators  put  in  their  way.  Butler's  own  brother, 
William,  was  a  member  of  the  Regulators  of  Orange. 

What  part  John  Butler  took  in  the  Regulator  disturbance  is 
not  known,  but  he  was  of  course  on  the  side  of  the  constituted 
authorities. 


JOHN  BUTLER  31 


After  the  battle  of  Alamance  was  over,  however,  he  befriended 
the  Regulators  and  stayed  the  hand  of  the  executive  authority. 
He  signed  many  petitions  asking  pardon  for  those  who  had  op- 
posed the  Government. 

But  like  Caswell  and  the  others  who  had  put  down  the  Regu- 
ulators,  he  joined  the  revolutionary  party  against  the  British 
Government,  and  was  a  member  of  the  District  Committee  of 
Safety  for  the  Hillsboro  District  in  1775. 

The  Provincial  Congress  at  Hillsboro  in  the  Fall  of  1775  real- 
ized that  the  hour  of  forcible  opposition  and  defence  had  come. 
Governor  Martin,  who  had  fled  from  his  palace  at  New-Bern 
at  the  end  of  May,  was  on  board  a  British  man-of-war  in  the 
Cape  Fear,  devising  plans  to  subjugate  the  people.  The  whole 
State  was  thoroughly  organized  for  defence. 

The  militia  of  each  county  were  organized  under  their  colonels ; 
and  John  Butler  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  for  Orange  County. 
In  the  next  year,  1776,  he  was  made  colonel.  During  these  years 
there  was  no  fighting  in  that  section,  but  men  were  preparing 
for  the  conflict  that  was  inevitable.  The  tide  of  war  had  struck 
North  Carolina,  but  had  been  rolled  back.  The  British  fleet 
failed  to  make  conjunction  with  the  Scotch  Tories  of  the  Cape 
Fear.  The  battle  of  Moore's  Creek  Bridge  had  shown  the  Whigs 
of  the  State  what  to  expect,  and  all  was  expectancy. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  people  of  Orange  chose  Butler  to 
represent  them  in  the  two  important  Congresses  that  were  to  meet 
at  Halifax  in  April  and  November.  By  the  April  Congress  he 
was  appointed  to  purchase  arms  and  ammunition  and  prepare 
for  the  conflict.  Moore's  Creek  had  been  fought  and  the  strife 
between  revolutionist  and  loyalist  had  already  begun.  The  dom- 
inant party  had  begun  to  confiscate  the  property  of  the  loyalists, 
especially  those  taken  in  arms.  Butler  was  appointed  to  assist 
in  the  inventory  of  this  property. 

In  the  November  Convention  he  did  not  take  his  seat  till  the 
Constitution  had  been  adopted  and  the  most  important  legisla- 
tion had  already  been  enacted.  The  election  of  the  Orange  rep- 
resentatives was  in  dispute.    Butler  was  not  elected  at  first.    The 


32  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Convention  pronounced  the  election  fraudulent  and  ordered  a  new 
election.  At  this  new  election  Butler  was  chosen.  This  accounts 
for  his  not  being  present  when  the  first  State  Convention  was 
adopted.  In  1776  brigadier-generals  were  appointed  for  the  dif- 
ferent districts;  and  General  Thomas  Person  was  the  brigadier 
for  the  Hillsboro  District.  He  resigned  in  1777,  and  Butler  was 
chosen  by  the  Assembly  in  his  place.  This  position  Butler  held 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  War  and  till  1784,  when  he  re- 
signed and  Ambrose  Ramsey  became  his  successor.  Butler  never 
joined  the  Continental  Line.  His  services  to  the  American  cause 
were  always  with  the  militia.  There  was  no  call  for  military  ser- 
vices as  long  as  the  British  campaigns  were  planned  against  the 
central  States.  In  1778  the  British  policy  changed,  and  the  scenes 
of  the  war  began  to  shift  from  the  North  to  the  South.  The 
scheme  was  now  devised  to  roll  up  the  colonies  as  a  scroll,  and 
to  begin  with  Georgia,  the  weakest  of  the  thirteen.  Upon  this 
scheme  King  George  and  Lord  George  Germaine  had  set  their 
hearts.  In  this  year  there  was  skirmishing  along  the  frontier  be- 
tween Georgia  and  Florida,  which  had  remained  loyal  to  the 
Crown.  General  Robert  Howe  was  in  command  of  the  southern 
division,  with  his  headquarters  at  Savannah.  He  came  into  col- 
lision with  the  British  and  met  with  no  success.  The  South  Caro- 
lina delegates  in  Congress  requested  his  removal.  General  Ben- 
jamin Lincoln  superseded  him.  In  November,  1779,  Lincoln 
passed  through  North  Carolina  on  his  way  to  take  charge  of  the 
southern  army.  North  Carolina  had  been  busy  for  some  weeks 
preparing  troops  to  march  southward.  Butler  was  ordered  by 
Governor  Caswell  to  get  the  troops  in  his  district  ready  for  march- 
ing. In  October  and  November  he  was  busy,  and  late  in  the 
year  he  sent  his  men  forward  under  Antony  Lytle.  When  Lin- 
coln arrived  in  South  Carolina  he  had  to  collect  the  lowland 
militia  of  that  State,  but  could  not  for  fear  of  a  slave  insurrec- 
tion. Under  John  Ashe  North  Carolina  sent  two  thousand  men. 
But  from  North  Carolina  also  went  loyalists  to  help  the  British. 
Seven  hundred  loyalists  marched  from  the  State  to  join  the 
British  force  at  Augusta. 


JOHN  BUTLER  33 


On  March  3,  1779,  Ashe's  force  was  cut  to  pieces  at  Brier 
Creek,  near  the  Savannah  River.  Even  before  the  news  of  this 
disaster  had  reached  North  Carolina,  Governor  Caswell  had 
ordered  Butler  to  embody  more  troops  in  his  district  and  go  to 
the  help  of  Lincoln.  The  time  of  the  enlistment  of  those  whom 
he  had  sent  forward  under  Lytle  was  about  to  expire  and  the  new 
levy  was  to  take  their  place. 

Butler  left  Charlotte  on  April  nth  and  reached  Lincoln,  near 
Augusta,  on  the  26th.  Lincoln's  move  into  Georgia  uncovered 
Charleston,  which  was  no  sooner  known  to  the  British  than  Gen- 
eral Prevost  crossed  the  Savannah,  and  made  toward  Charleston, 
raiding  as  he  went.  Lincoln,  with  Butler's  men  and  others,  hastily 
returned  to  protect  the  city.  Prevost  was  forced  to  retreat,  and 
on  June  19th  was  attacked  by  Lincoln  at  Stono  Ferry.  Butler 
and  Sumner,  of  North  Carolina,  were  in  the  thick  of  the  fight. 
Butler's  raw  troops  fought  well.  In  a  letter  to  Governor  Caswell 
he  said : 

"I  can  with  pleasure  assure  you  that  the  officers  and  men  under  my  com- 
mand behaved  better  than  could  be  expected  of  raw  troops." 

But  these  troops  had  enlisted  for  only  a  few  months.  Enlist- 
ments were  generally  for  three  months.  On  July  15th  his  men 
returned  home.  This  was  a  fault  in  the  policy  of  using  the 
militia.  They  were  never  destined  to  become  inured  to  the  hard- 
ships of  camp  life  or  to  the  discipline  of  veterans.  When  their 
time  expired  they  left  camp  and  returned  home.  Like  an  Arab 
encampment,  in  the  morning  they  were  not. 

In  December,  1779,  Butler  sent  more  men  to  the  help  of  Lin- 
coln, but  did  not  go  himself.  Early  in  1780,  Sir  Henry  Qinton 
decided  to  push  the  campaign  in  the  South.  He  took  eight  thou- 
sand men  from  New  York  and  brought  them  South  to  unite  with 
Prevost.  Later  he  brought  Lord  Rawdon  from  New  York  with 
three  thousand  more  men.  Washington  saw  that  Lincoln  needed 
help,  and  dispatched  from  his  army  all  the  troops  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  some  from  Virginia. 

On  May  12,  1780,  Charleston  was  forced  to  surrender,  and 


34  NORTH  CAROLINA 

with  this  fall  went  all  the  regular  troops  North  Carolina  had,  be- 
sides several  hundred  of  her  militia. 

Again  the  militia  were  called  upon  to  come  into  the  field.  Gov- 
ernor Caswell,  whose  term  as  Governor  had  expired,  was  now 
invested  with  the  command  of  all  the  militia.  He  made  his  head- 
quarters near  Cheraw.  His  three  commanders  were  Rutherford, 
with  the  western  troops;  Gregory,  with  the  eastern;  and  Butler, 
with  the  central.  In  August  there  were  assembled  at  Cheraw, 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  Smallwood's  Maryland  Brigade,  the  Dela- 
ware regiment  and  some  Virginia  militia,  who  were  following 
under  General  Gates,  who  had  been  appointed  by  Congress  to 
command  the  southern  army.  The  rashness  of  Gates  in  march- 
ing forward  without  horsemen  to  gain  information  resulted  in 
his  falling  in  with  the  British  Army  at  night. 

The  fate  that  met  him  and  his  troops  is  a  sad  page  in  our  Rev- 
olutionary history.  In  front  of  the  North  Carolina  militia  was 
the  Virginia  militia.  They  gave  way  and  in  their  flight  the  North 
Carolina  militia  joined  them.  A  part  of  Gregory's  Brigade  fought 
well ;  Dixon's  regiment  of  this  same  brigade,  being  along  with  the 
Maryland  regulars,  stood  firmly  and  gained  great  credit;  but 
many  of  the  other  militia  never  fired  a  shot.  In  fifteen  minutes 
the  whole  left  of  Gates's  line  of  battle,  composed  entirely  of  militia, 
was  a  mob  struggling  to  escape.  Colonel  Webster  had  come 
down  upon  them  in  a  furious  charge,  and  was  then  followed  by  the 
fearful  Tarleton. 

The  North  Carolina  militia  fled  toward  home  in  any  way  they 
chose.  On  their  return  they  met  many  pretended  friends  going 
to  join  the  American  army,  who,  on  learning  of  its  utter  discom- 
fiture, proclaimed  themselves  friends  of  the  victors.  These  roving 
bands  plucked  the  militia  as  they  fled.  One  of  these  bands  met 
General  Butler  and  robbed  him  of  his  sword,  remarking  by  way 
of  consolation,  "You'll  have  no  further  use  of  this." 

But  Butler  was  not  willing  to  give  up  the  fight.  "He  who  fights 
and  runs  away  will  live  to  fight  another  day."  September  found 
him  with  more  militia  covering  Salisbury  and  Charlotte,  and  when 
retreating  before  Comwallis's  advance,  skirmishing  as    he    fell 


JOHN  BUTLER  35 


back.  He  was  ordered  by  the  Board  of  War  at  the  same  time  to 
g^uard  the  provisions  that  were  being  brought  from  the  Moravian 
settlements.  In  those  days  of  disorganization  Butler  gave  the  dis- 
consolate State  what  help  he  could.  He  and  Sumner  patrolled 
the  banks  of  the  Yadkin,  watching  the  enemy  and  keeping  him 
back. 

But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  his  troops  vanished,  for  their  term 
of  enlistment  had  expired. 

After  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  Comwallis  fell  back  into 
South  Carolina,  and  in  December  General  Greene  took  charge 
of  his  scattered  forces  and  began  the  work  of  reorganization. 
He  divided  his  army  and  sent  one  part  of  it  west  of  Charlotte 
under  General  Morgan,  and  with  the  other  he  took  post  at  Cheraw. 
By  February  Butler  had  collected  another  force,  and  was  ordered 
to  join  Lillington  in  watching  Major  Craig,  who  had  taken  Wil- 
mington on  January  29,  1781.  While  Butler  was  near  Wilming- 
ton, Comwallis  entered  the  State  the  second  time  in  pursuit  of 
Morgan  after  his  thrilling  victory  at  Cowpens.  Butler  was  now 
ordered  to  hasten  to  the  help  of  Greene.  Comwallis  at  Hillsboro 
wanted  to  prevent  their  junction.  For  several  days  there  was  a 
game  of  hide-and-seek  between  these  great  commanders,  but 
Greene  enabled  his  militia  to  join  him  on  March  nth,  and  then 
challenged  Comwallis  to  do  battle  at  Guilford  Court  House  on 
March  15th.    • 

Again  Butler  and  his  militia  were  to  face  the  trained  veterans 
of  the  British  Army.  In  this  fight  the  North  Carolina  militia 
under  Butler  and  Eaton  were  placed  on  the  left  of  the  front  line, 
and  the  Virginia  militia  in  their  rear.  But  when  the  British  vet- 
erans under  Leslie  fired  on  them  they  sought  safety  by  retreat. 
Butler  tried  hard  to  stop  the  panic,  but  in  vain.  It  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  these  were  not  the  troops  that  were  with  Butler  at 
Camden.  He  was  always  in  command  of  raw  militia.  Again  these 
men  scattered  and  many  of  them  retumed  home.  General  Morgan 
seems  to  have  been  the  one  American  general  who  knew  how  to 
pit  these  raw  soldiers  against  trained  veterans,  for  at  Cowpens 
they  fought  well,  even  against  the  terrible  Tarleton. 


36  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Butler  remained  with  General  Greene  while  Comwallis  re- 
treated to  Wilmington.  When  Greene  decided  to  leave  Com- 
wallis at  Wilmington  and  so  push  him  off  the  board,  himself  go- 
ing into  South  Carolina,  he  left  Butler  at  Ramsey's  Mill,  near  the 
junction  of  the  Haw  and  the  Deep,  to  collect  provisions  and  the 
scattered  militia  and  to  watch  the  enemy.  From  this  place  Butler 
wrote  General  Sumner  on  April  nth  that  "we  have  now  in  the 
field  240  men  of  those  that  fled  from  the  battle  on  the  15th 
ult  They  are  for  one  year  and  will  in  a  few  days  join  head- 
quarters." In  addition  to  his  military  duties  he  was  sent  to  the 
House  of  Commons,  where  he  was  on  the  Committee  for  Defence ; 
also  he  was  a  Councillor  of  State. 

But  his  chief  work  now  was  to  keep  down  the  Tories.  In  North 
Carolina  it  was  thought  that  Comwallis  would  retreat  from 
Virginia  back  through  North  Carolina.  Governor  Burke  was 
very  busy  preparing  to  assist  Greene  or  to  make  it  unpleasant  for 
Comwallis  if  he  returned  through  this  State.  Butler  kept  a  com- 
pany encamped  on  Haw  River.  With  the  departure  of  Greene 
and  the  presence  of  Major  Craig  at  Wilmington,  the  Tory  spirit 
rose  again.  In  Butler's  district  were  Chatham  and  Moore  and 
Randolph,  where  there  were  many  Tories.  These  Tories  planned 
to  surprise  Butler's  camp,  but  Govemor  Burke  wamed  him.  Then 
the  Tories,  learning  that  Burke  was  at  Hillsboro  and  not  well  de- 
fended, determined  that  they  would  surprise  him,  which  they  did. 
He  was  captured  and  the  Tories  began  their  retreat.  With  them 
was  the  notorious  David  Fanning,  shrewd  and  capable  and 
bloody-minded.  When  Butler  heard  of  the  capture  he  set  out  in 
hot  pursuit.  At  Cane  Creek  a  desperate  fight  took  place,  which 
was  probably  a  drawn  battle.  He  did  not  rescue  the  Govemor, 
and  the  Tories  continued  to  Wilmington.  Butler  then  hurried 
around  Wilmington  and  fought  the  Tories  in  small  engagements 
at  Hammond's  Creek  and  Brown  Marsh  in  Bladen.  He  still 
kept  his  troops  embodied  in  1782  and  was  in  camp  near  Salis- 
bury. His  home  and  plantation,  probably  called  Mt.  Pleasant, 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  British  under  Comwallis.  It  was  some 
years  before  the  strife  of  Tory  and  Whig  ceased  in  his  district. 


JOHN  BUTLER  37 


To  re-establish  order  in  the  State  was  a  difficult  task,  and  But- 
ler was  charged  with  a  part  of  this  duty.  In  the  Assemblies  of 
1784  he  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Grievances,  and 
there  were  many.  His  name  appears  on  nearly  every  page  of  the 
proceedings. 

At  the  November  session  of  1784  he  resigned  the  brigadier- 
generalship,  and  was  excused  from  further  attendance  on  the 
sessions. 

Little  is  known  of  his  personal  traits  or  characteristics.  He 
must  liavc  been  a  popular  man,  possessing  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  the  State,  to  have  had  the  chief  command  in 
his  district  for  seven  years,  especially  during  the  troublous  years 
of  the  war.  He  was  in  nearly  every  session  of  the  Assembly,  save 
when  he  was  in  the  field,  and  he  was  several  times  a  Councillor 
of  State.  While  his  troops  did  not  fight  well,  there  is  nowhere 
any  imputation  of  inefficiency  or  of  a  lack  of  courage  on  his  part. 
He  was  too  plain  and  simple  a  Democrat  to  indorse  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  and  one  of  his  last  measures  introduced  into 
the  Assembly  was  to  preclude  any  member  of  that  order  from 
sitting  in  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina. 

£.  W.  Sikes. 


JARVIS  BUXTON 


ARVIS  BUXTON  was  bom  near  Washington, 
North  Carolina,  on  February  20,  1820,  and  died 
at  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  March  11,  1902. 
He  was  the  son  of  Reverend  Jarvis  B.  Buxton, 
an  Episcopal  minister,  who  soon  after  his  son's 
birth  moved  to  Fayetteville,  and  who  was  a 
preacher  of  fine  powers  and  a  man  of  rare  excellence,  being 
greatly  beloved  by  his  congregation,  and  his  published  sermons 
have  brought  much  comfort  in  many  homes.  The  boyhood  of 
Doctor  Buxton  was  passed  in  Fayetteville  in  a  community  fa- 
mous for  its  culture  and  virtues.  After  his  primary  education, 
he  was  sent  to  school  in  Flushing,  Long  Island,  where  he  studied 
under  Doctor  Muhlenberg,  founder  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  in 
New  York  City.  He  was  prepared  for  college,  and,  returning 
to  North  Carolina  for  his  collegiate  course,  entered  the  State 
University  at  Chapel  Hill.  He  graduated  in  1839,  and  then,  pro- 
posing to  enter  the  ministry,  became  a  student  at  the  General 
Theological  Seminary  in  New  York,  where  he  graduated  in  1842. 
Two  years  later  he  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Ives,  then 
bishop  of  the  diocese  of  North  Carolina.  The  early  part  of  his 
ministry  was  spent  at  Valle  Crucis,  in  what  is  now  Watauga 
County,  where  he  taught  and  studied  in  a  mission  organized  by 
Bishop  Ives.  In  1845  he  took  charge  of  a  parish  at  Rutherford- 
ton,  and  the  following  year  removed  to  Asheville  with  the  purpose 


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JARVIS  BUXTON  39 


of  establishing  an  Episcopal  Church  there.  At  that  period  Ashe- 
ville  was  hardly  more  than  a  secluded  hamlet  in  the  mountains, 
and  Doctor  Buxton  had  at  the  beginning  of  his  work  but  one 
communicant. 

There  being  no  railroads  yet  built  in  that  part  of  the  State, 
Doctor  Buxton's  trips  between  his  two  parishes  in  Rutherford- 
ton  and  Asheville  were  made  on  horseback,  and  his  visits  to  his 
old  home  in  Fayetteville  were  made  in  the  same  way. 

On  January  6,  1848,  in  Fayetteville,  Doctor  Buxton  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  Nash  Cameron,  daughter  of  Judge  John  A. 
Cameron,  appointed  United  States  Judge  for  Florida,  and  a 
brother  of  Judge  Duncan  Cameron,  of  Hillsboro ;  and  this  union 
was  blessed  with  eight  children,  five  of  whom  still  survive. 

After  his  marriage  Doctor  Buxton  returned  to  his  charge  at 
Asheville,  and  was  ordained  priest  by  Bishop  Ives,  June  17,  1849, 
at  Rutherfordton.  His  work  all  through  the  mountain  country 
of  western  North  Carolina  was  pressed  with  energy  and  con- 
tinued to  grow  in  extent  and  in  importance.  He  was  the  first 
missionary  of  the  Episcopal  Church  to  enter  upon  a  field  of  labor 
west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  he  not  only  established  the  church 
there,  but  also  established  missions  all  through  the  country.  He 
likewise  had  charge  of  stations  at  Waynesville  and  Bumsville. 
He  built  churches  on  the  French  Broad,  on  Haw  Creek  and 
Beaverdam,  and  it  was  through  him  that  the  valuable  Ravens- 
croft  property  in  Asheville  was  purchased  for  the  diocese. 

The  first  church  which  Doctor  Buxton  built  was  found  too 
small  for  the  growing  congregation,  and  during  the  latter  part 
of  his  ministry  it  was  torn  down  and  a  new  church  costing  some 
$20,000  was  erected. 

In  1891,  after  a  ministry  of  forty-five  years,  Doctor  Buxton 
resigned  the  rectorship  in  Asheville  and  with  his  family  removed 
to  Lenoir,  in  Caldwell  County.  Here  he  served  St.  James's  Church 
in  Lenoir,  the  Peace  Chapel  near  Lenoir  and  the  church  in  the 
valley  of  the  Yadkin. 

On  June  30,  1896,  Doctor  Buxton  lost  his  wife,  and  a  few  years 
later  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Asheville,  and  from  that  time 


40  NORTH  CAROLINA 

■ 

until  his  death  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  ministry,  especially 
mission  work  in  North  Asheville.  Physically  and  mentally  he 
was  at  work  until  the  last  days  of  his  life.  The  devoted  life  of 
Doctor  Buxton  was  closely  connected  with  the  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral growth  of  Asheville,  and  his  loss  was  felt  by  hundreds  who 
admired  his  noble  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  his  unselfish  devo- 
tion and  his  Christian  character;  indeed  his  friendship  was  not 
confined  to  members  of  his  denomination,  but  he  was  warmly 
beloved  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

The  missionary  spirit  abounded  in  Doctor  Buxton,  and  his 
labors  were  not  limited  to  the  bounds  of  his  own  parish.  A  noble 
priest,  an  humble,  devoted  Christian,  who  led  among  his  people 
a  most  consistent,  blameless  life,  he  labored  for  the  good  of  his 
fellow-man,  to  the  glory  of  God,  with  the  judgment  of  mature 
years  and  the  energy,  buoyancy  and  perseverance  of  youth.  He 
thought  evil  of  no  man  and  never  despaired  of  even  the  most 
reckless  and  wayward  being  brought  back  to  the  paths  of  right- 
eousness. 

Though  shadows  crossed  his  path  in  his  later  years  and  sorrow 
fell  upon  him,  yet  no  man  ever  heard  him  speak  except  in  kind- 
ness of  any  one,  and  his  trust  in  his  Saviour  was  unfailing. 

While  loyal  and  devoted  to  the  teachings  of  his  church,  he 
never  failed  to  attend  those  in  sickness  and  affliction,  whether  Jew 
or  Gentile,  to  whom  his  ministrations  could  bring  comfort  or  re- 
lief, and  his  presence  was  a  benediction  to  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  He  knew  the  weakness  of  men,  but  he  loved  them 
for  the  good  there  was  in  them. 

His  benevolence  was  limited  only  by  his  means,  and  despite 
his  advanced  years  he  continued  in  his  Christian  efforts  to  the 
last. 

He  passed  away  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age,  lamented 
by  his  church  and  greatly  missed  by  the  community  where  he  had 
labored  so  unremittingly,  carrying  ever  with  him  the  spirit  of  the 
Saviour. 

/.  C.  Buxton. 


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,r    '11  aiitl  cxci-nlion  ni  tbc  I.iu  as  >  'liiii-.i  .      i   •    .   • 
:     -■!   I'i-:ri.;t,  .ii.<i  in  ihc  ihbb  ^^i  .va'il^o.,(l  i  •    •    '       . 

''"  ••!-;  f,  a  onltui     :  aiui  acco!i;p'i.-:l-.r.l  \<.'^'  .    •  •       . 

.  •  a  p''";i..i'cnt  \t»nb  (.,'ar.  .ura  taiiv",.  ::.  .  :'.  •  •'♦  .•.  •  i 
i'  '  •  jlicau  Party  ear!)  after  tl-c  c:<'m'  (A  U.c  ^\  ■'  \  .  .  'u 
lii>^    brotlitr-in-law.   the*    lato   (.'lou'/i     Tiv-nM-.    '^.    •.'•    '•,    :■!. 


A]r-!^^('(1  leatlcrs  oi  t^.e  p.;'"tv   i.i 


•:\t 


-'•I  t:  -n.  its  :'*  ">t  Ir'jstt  ;1  a''vi>Li  '.  \. '  o  stuj!  ••!  lU  ;  .  i:.  \  ;vn.l 
'.  !  i:<  cainpaii::ns.  It  is  >ii^i^jtic'fn  <I-at.  •-i-i'inq^  tr.'.st-  U  iv.^ 
>\>"u  ti.  i!.  an  cp< 'ob.  i>i  int«  M-f  pa't>  n  f«o'.i:.q\  oven  ji'<l^..^e 
.n">  n.-t  ;-irT.T  polirit  al  f'  es  ne  .'<t  Mile«l  to  d.)  irst'ec  to 
»n<  -!\   of  pnrp«)S!'.     Xr.  ,int  ;^' .ni^t,  oitb'T  in  rbe  debate  or  in 


Pl.  <J^y?*w/^ 


RALPH  P.  BUXTON 

^HE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  bom  in  the  year 
1826  in  Washington,  North  Carolina,  and  was 
the  son  of  the  Reverend  Jarvis  Buxton,  who, 
removing  to  Fayetteville,  was  the  scholarly  and 
beloved  rector  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church 
of  that  city  for  many  years.  In  the  east  wall 
of  this  venerable  and  still  beautiful  house  of  worship  is  a  memorial 
tablet,  bearing  tribute  to  the  virtues  of  this  consecrated  man  of 
God,  who  passed  out  from  among  them  "carrying  his  full 
sheaves."  Ralph  P.  Buxton  received  a  liberal  rudimentary  and 
academic  training,  and  graduated  with  distinction  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina.  He  served  with  ability  in  the  con- 
servation and  execution  of  the  law  as  solicitor  of  the  Fayetteville 
Judicial  District,  and  in  the  flush  of  manhood  married  Miss  Re- 
becca Bledsoe,  a  cultured  and  accomplished  young  woman,  mem- 
ber of  a  prominent  North  Carolina  family.  He  allied  himself  with 
the  Republican  Party  early  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  he 
and  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Colonel  Thomas  S.  Lutterloh, 
being  the  acknowledged  leaders  of  the  party  in  the  upper  Cape 
Fear  section,  its  most  trusted  advisers,  who  shaped  its  policy  and 
directed  its  campaigns.  It  is  significant  that,  during  those  days 
of  reconstruction,  an  epoch  of  intense  partisan  feeling,  even  Judge 
Buxton's  most  bitter  political  foes  never  failed  to  do  justice  to 
his  honesty  of  purpose.    No  antagonist,  either  in  the  debate  or  in 


42  NORTH  CAROLINA 

the  strenuous  conflict  on  the  stump,  ever  cast  the  stigma  of  self- 
ishness or  corruption  on  his  Republicanism:  he  may  have  been 
regarded  wrong-headed,  but  not  wrong-hearted.  Nay,  more, 
though  he  lived  in  a  community  Confederate  to  the  backbone  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  and  afterwards  Democratic  always  to  a  white 
heat,  before  his  lovable  and  irreproachable  private  character  the 
social  ostracism  which  lashed  others  shrank  abashed  before  him ; 
and  about  the  hearthstone  of  his  refined  and  hospitable  home 
gathered  the  best  and  most  notable  men  and  women  of  the  city — 
many  of  the  former  his  avowed  and  uncompromising  enemies  on 
the  hustings. 

Judge  Buxton  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  met  for 
the  amendment  of  the  Constitution,  and  few  men  of  either  party 
in  that  Assembly  addressed  themselves  to  the  work  before  them 
with  broader  views  and  a  more  conservative  spirit  than  he.  In 
truth,  while  he  abhorred  the  Democracy  of  the  Southern  Bourbon, 
it  was  a  misnomer  to  call  him  a  "Radical,"  as  the  Republicans 
were  known  thirty  and  thirty-five  years  ago. 

He  was  the  gubernatorial  candidate  of  the  Republican  Party 
in  1880,  and  was  defeated  by  Thomas  J.  Jarvis,  the  nominee  of 
the  Democratic  Party.  He  left  behind  him  a  political  record  of 
which  few  men  in  his  party  in  the  South  could  boast:  that  he 
was  never  an  aspirant  for  office,  or  a  seeker  after  its  spoils ;  that 
the  honors  which  came  to  him  wefe  unsolicited,  and  were  tributes 
to  his  abilities  and  integrity. 

He  was  on  the  Superior  Court  bench  during  the  first  admin- 
istration of  Governor  Holden,  and  afterwards  held  the  same  posi- 
tion by  election  of  the  people,  defeating  the  late  Bartholomew 
Fuller,  who  died  at  Durham,  but  was  then  a  member  of  the  Fay- 
etteville  bar.  Mr.  Fuller  was  nominated  at  Rockingham,  and  at 
that  time  the  Fayetteville  Judicial  District  was  made  up  very 
largely  of  the  territory  afterwards  known  as  the  Charlotte  Con- 
gfressional  "Shoestring"  District.  I  am  unable  to  give  the  dates^ 
which  are  immaterial,  but  Judge  Buxton,  during  the  course  of 
his  public  life,  enjoyed  the  honor  of  securing  a  nomination  from 
both  the  Republican  and  Democratic  Parties. 


RALPH  P.  BUXTON  43 

On  the  bench  Judge  Buxton  was  a  safe  rather  than  a  brilliant 
jurist.  Like  the  junior  counsel,  Lynx,  of  the  Yatton  trial  in  War- 
ren's "Ten  Thousand  a  Year,"  he  crept  rather  than  ran  over  a 
case — not  that  he  was  mentally  slow  and  plodding,  but  he  was 
constitutionally  careful  and  accurate.  The  late  William  B. 
Wright  was  a  man  of  gigantic  frame,  more  than  six  and  a  half 
feet  in  height,  with  a  stalwart  build  in  proportion,  though  the 
time  was  to  come  when  old  age  "clawed  him  in  its  clutch,"  and 
bowed  and  broke  the  once  herculean  form.  He  had  a  leonine 
head  and  grizzled  mane,  which  he  shook  in  the  thunders  of  juridi- 
cal polemics  at  bench,  jury  and  bar,  and  the  other  lawyers  af- 
fectionately called  him  "Father  Magnus."  Mr.  Wright  had  a 
high  opinion  of  the  intellectuality  and  legal  acumen  of  Ralph 
Buxton,  and  often  wondered  especially  at  his  mastery  of  all  the 
minute  details  of  a  case.  "Buxton,"  he  once  said,  in  his  deep, 
burning  voice,  as  the  two  were  sitting  in  Mr.  Wright's  office  on 
Green  Street,  "the  ordinary  eye  can  hardly  follow  a  fly  on  the 
wall,  but  I  believe  that  you  could  pick  out  a  red  bug  in  a  saw- 
pit!" 

His  personal  qualities  eminently  fitted  him  to  be  an  interpreter 
and  executor  of  the  law.  He  was  patient;  not  easily  provoked 
to  anger,  though  like  the  Laird  of  Dumbiedikes,  in  Scott's  "Mid- 
lothian," something  dangerous  when  fully  aroused;  tolerant  of 
the  weaknesses  of  human  nature,  affable  and  courteous  to  the  bar, 
sympathetic  and  indulgent  to  the  masses  of  the  people  who,  as 
spectators  or  litigants,  sought  the  interior  of  the  court-room. 

Reverend  Jarvis  Buxton  passed  away  when  his  son  Ralph  was 
in  his  early  youth,  but  the  boy  retained  through  life  much  of  the 
fortiter  in  re  of  his  learned  and  distinguished  father  in  matters 
of  moral  principle  and  even  of  important  concerns  of  daily  life, 
while  he  had  still  more  of  the  suaviter  in  modo  which  made  the 
women  of  his  family  so  charming,  and  especially  marked  the  char- 
acter of  his  sister,  Mrs.  T.  S.  Lutterloh,  who  for  many  years  was 
an  admired  leader  of  Fayetteville  society. 

Judge  Buxton  was  gifted  with  a  delicate  and  exquisite  sense 
of  humor.    He  delighted  in  his  hours  of  relaxation  and  ease  to 


44  NORTH  CAROLINA 

meet  with  his  friends  at  his  home  or  at  the  houses  of  his  neigh- 
bors in  the  enjoyment  of  an  evening's  reading  or  recital.  He 
could  always  be  depended  on  for  ''flashes  of  merriment  to  set  the 
table  in  a  roar,"  and  he  was  no  mean  elocutionist  in  didactic 
selections.  His  rendition  of  Cowper's  "J^hn  Gilpin's  Ride"  was 
inimitable.  The  joke  at  his  own  expense  seemed  to  intensify  his 
enjoyment,  and  his  mirth  was  no  whit  checked  because  it  was 
"one  on  him."  He  used  to  tell  with  much  gusto  of  one  of  his 
early  experiences,  when  he  had  procured  his  license,  hung  out 
his  "shingle,"  was  "raking  the  woods"  for  a  client,  and  was  at- 
tending court  over  in  Richmond  County.  In  those  days,  during 
the  regime  of  the  County  Court,  before  the  County  Commissioner 
system  of  government,  it  was  the  time-honored  custom  for  the 
Judge  on  the  Superior  Court  bench  to  call  on  the  newest-fledged 
lawyer  to  charge  the  grand  jury,  or  to  assign  to  him  the  task  of 
defending  the  toughest  minor  criminal  under  the  frown  of  the 
solicitor.  This  last  duty  fell  to  Buxton;  and  the  case  of  his 
client,  a  negro  charged  with  larceny,  looked  "blue" — in  fact,  the 
evidence  was  dead  against  him.  But  the  young  lawyer  did  his 
best;  and  much  to  his  gratification,  and  perhaps  still  more  to  his 
surprise,  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  not  guilty.  It  was  a 
feather  in  his  cap,  and  in  spite  of  his  modesty  there  was  a  little 
strut  in  his  walk  as  he  crossed  the  Court  House  green  at  the  noon 
recess  until  two  or  three  of  the  jury  met  him,  and  one  of  them 
said :  "Buxton,  we  all  thought  your  client  guilty,  but  we  didn't 
want  to  discourage  you  at  the  very  outset  of  your  career." 

On  one  occasion,  while  Judge  Buxton  was  holding  a  term  of 
Cumberland  Superior  Court  in  Fayetteville,  looking  up  from  his 
notes  while  a  witness  was  being  examined  on  the  stand,  a  look 
of  surprise  came  over  his  face,  succeeded  by  an  indignant  frown. 
"Get  down  off  that  chair!"  he  said  to  the  witness.  The  man,  a 
bright  mulatto,  looked  astonished  and  bewildered,  and  turned  his 
eyes  helplessly  towards  the  sheriff.  "Get  down  off  that  chair!" 
called  the  Judge  still  more  sharply.  "Why,  Judge,"  said  the 
sheriff,  while  his  face  reddened  and  his  eyes  watered  in  the  effort 
to  keep  back  a  guffaw,  "he  is  not  standing  on  a  chair;  he  is  just 


RALPH  P.  BUXTON  45 

about  the  tallest  man  in  North  Carolina,  nearly  seven  feet  high !" 
Judge  Buxton  slowly  raised  himself  and  leaned  forward  until  he 
could  see  the  feet  of  the  witness  squarely  planted  on  the  floor,  and 
sank  back  in  his  chair,  while  a  peal  of  laughter  rang  through  the 
court  room,  in  which  the  bench  joined  without  recourse  to  the 
gavel. 

The  last  few  years  of  Judge  Buxton's  life  were  passed  in  re- 
tirement from  the  cares  and  burdens  of  public  Ufe.  In  his  office 
on  Donaldson  Street  he  attended  industriously  as  of  yore  to  the 
concerns  of  his  profession,  his  counsel  ever  eagerly  sought  by 
the  other  members  of  the  bar.  Never  a  man  of  robust  physique, 
his  health  visibly  declined ;  and  every  day,  as  he  rode  in  the  early 
afternoon  on  a  large  sorrel  horse  to  his  home  over  Haymount, 
his  friends  could  see  the  mysterious  beckoning  hand  not  far 
away. 

The  summons  came  as  doubtless  his  brave  soul  would  have  it 
come,  when  the  harness  was  loosed  and  ready  to  be  laid  by,  when 
he  closed  his  brief,  made  up  his  case  ready  for  the  verdict.  He 
passed  away,  sitting  in  his  chair  at  his  home,  the  "Buxton  Oaks," 
known  also  as  the  "Dobbin  Homestead,"  where  lived  for  many 
years  before  the  war  James  C.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
in  the  administration  of  President  Pierce. 

Judge  Buxton  was  a  member  and  vestryman  of  St.  John's  Epis- 
copal Church.    He  left  no  children,  but  is  survived  by  his  widow. 

/.  H,  Myrover, 


|iMI\   CAMERON    BUXTON^ 


• 


,.(»fii  (u'sr  M*r  r\p7<^ia«fi,  **Tell  nic  where  4 

I. in  \M^  U>rM,  Aivt  ^%lio  Idi  parents  wenr*  and 

v\itl  (I'll  Villi  what  kiBc!  ai  mMi  lie  W     If 

H4f  if II  xsfsv  di|*p]icU  to  the  tidijeet  of  Ittii 

•Vuli.  the  i-Hfifiijion  would  inActd  be  a  tru* 

iniii^   tiir  JmImi  r«imrmQ  BttxlDn  ft^aft  faorn  iit 

4nli»  f  niiiiH-,  x§wih  Oiraliiiai  on  Scpianber  30^ 

•  -n  01  1  locfoi  Juniii  Boxtoti  and  Anna  Rux- 

a.         1/    *unl  i«  iii»t  flir  U^ie  u{  nian  wi!  mitild  ex* 

m  liiM  T-iu^l  m  (Mi  vti^imifif  ifiiMitiMitti  trciicm  ftnd  bf  ttidi 

^   ►^•fr  Iiii  i^rcTiit.     i^-cior  Bitxton  waj  an  EpUcopat 

li  *4i  fi^Mil  vk^«   •irf«i|Q  coniTni^ii  ,»ensi*,  ^nd  det'p  piety* 

«lr*    nit4tl>ifi  n?fiiiin^     fur  xif  the  Dlhltina!  ile^ert{Jtifin  of  n 

f/ni'^Ii  **!>''  inijr  t*ni^1  L^enik,  ami  vcl  '*niled  her 

^i^lt  '*     Ml  .  a  »  t«ic  ^A»  ^pinit  a*-  ^at  ihc  uftial 

•it»4i  liriv^v  fair  •   ti^i    tiviii^  duriiiit  the  perjud  of  the 

I  (*ih'iirfoiT  iind  Ic^r  01  indnigcjice  iblli 

»i  4  tlllTiT^t  iiiiit:,     Ht  11 A^  pref*ared 

«»w»«i'ft  Midi,  ItllJct^t  City,  Mil.,  wberc,  00 

-»  oj  mil  niM*  proncfoni*  dis^position,  he  wat  a 

i««^i'iHh>  iifUC/ttg  III**  ^^t*iiller  I'^y*,  whcme  chnnipioft 

\\f  d»*3pLfi*i1  311  lirautiy,  uod  huiisdf  strrnnfr^'at 

•Ttiii  i.t  tUe  wok  u^^ifM  die  in^tiU*  and  domineer^ 

*  mdlkf  ,*'    Le::i  villi;  i^l*  Cleinent'i,  he  fiiteied  Trinily 

-4^iMiirit|  Cimn.^  whi^re  he  nmramed  tlircte  yi^r&v    KoL 


It  lu>i  l^M♦• 


JOHN  CAMERON  BUXTON 


E  often  hear  the  expression,  "Tell  me  where  a 
man  was  born,  and  who  his  parents  were,  and 
I  will  tell  you  what  kind  of  man  he  is."  If 
that  test  were  applied  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  the  expression  would  indeed  be  a  tru- 
ism, for  John  Cameron  Buxton  was  born  in 
Asheville,  Buncombe  County,  North  Carolina,  on  September  30, 
1852,  arid  was  the  son  of  Doctor  Jarvis  Buxton  and  Anna  Bux- 
ton (nee  Cameroii),  and  is  just  the  type  of  man  we  would  ex- 
pect to  find  reared  in  that  vigorous  mountain  section  and  by  such 
persons  as  were  his  parents.  Doctor  Buxton  was  an  Episcopal 
clergyman  of  broad  views,  strong  common  sense,  and  deep  piety, 
while  Mrs.  Buxton  reminded  one  of  the  Biblical  description  of  a 
Mother  in  Israel,  who  was  loving  and  gentle,  and  yet  "ruled  her 
household  well."  Mr.  Buxton's  life  was  spent  as  was  the  usual 
life  of  such  boys,  except  that,  living  during  the  period  of  the 
Civil  War,  it  had  more  of  privation  and  less  of  indulgence  than 
fall  to  those  who  lived  in  a  different  time.  He  was  prepared 
for  college  at  St.  Clement's  Hall,  EUicott  City,  Md.,  where,  on 
account  of  his  love  of  fun  and  generous  disposition,  he  was  a 
gfreat  favorite,  especially  among  the  smaller  boys,  whose  champion 
he  always  was.  He  despised  all  tyranny,  and  himself  strong,  was 
always  the  protector  of  the  weak  against  the  insults  and  domineer- 
ing of  "school  bullies."  Leaving  St.  Clement's,  he  entered  Trinity 
College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  remained  three  years.     Not 


y^ 


<.c/&- 


/l_ 


/ 


;UHN  CAMERON   BUXTON. 


and 
If 

th«t  ivil  irtrr  4|ii»lieil  |o  the   inlijccl  tsf  iiiii 

,  trti- 
_       .  TO   in 


iivjuiiUiin  ftfcUtfU  and  by  ^tich 

-   "  -it 

!  (he  Btlitiod  dcscripiino  fd  a 

'n<t  ircntk,  4ncl  yet  ^*nilcd  her 

-_      ,.,,,,. .,  .  ,air  w^  ^inmt  aA  wat  lilt  Uiitial 

iti    r3a2r|it  Umt  Hvii^  flatinic  Ibe  ^lerioil  cit  tfi^ 

note  of  iinvitUiii  and  tesi  of  m  tban 

.,.  Uvt*J  til  a  iHfftffenI  thne     He  ^  *>,    ,  .v,jgiretj 

^   C!cfipi3ii*s  Hart,  Ellicoit  Gty,  Mit^  wherr^  00 

ve  dI  iim  ami  i!et»eT  in.  l»e  wai  tt 


Jir 


rlw   ^..' 


,-V.-..T- 


p./n^Ti 


Lenving  Si.  C>t-  -'*-   '  -  -ritcfeL.  ii.T^uv 
Tio*,  whrft  Ik  iv  ^  ^iswi.    Koi 


r^<iM  -4 "..r  *,- -.     S.-fu"^ 


JOHN  CAMERON  BUXTON  47 

having  the  money  to  continue  his  studies,  he  showed  his  pluck 
and  determination  to  acquire  a  good  education  by  teaching  one 
year  at  Edenton,  North  Carolina,  this  enabling  him  to  enter  the 
senior  class  at  Hobart  College,  Geneva,  New  York,  where  he 
graduated  in  1874  as  salutatorian  of  his  class — thus,  in  spite  of 
obstacles,  standing  in  the  very  front  rank  of  a  college  in  which 
he  had  spent  only  one  year,  and  had  no  help  from  friends  or  from 
favoritism. 

Mr.  Buxton  studied  law  in  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  under 
Judge  John  L.  Bailey,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  State 
in  January,  1875.  He  immediately  moved  to  Winston,  North 
Carolina,  then  a  very  small  place,  just  commencing  its  marvellous 
growth,  and  with  it  has  grown  up  until  both  he  and  the  city  have 
reached  their  present  success.  His  first  coming  to  Winston  was 
both  pathetic  and  amusing.  He  had  no  friends  in  his  newly 
adopted  home,  was  a  perfect  stranger  to  all,  was  utterly  ignorant 
of  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  his  worldly  goods  could  have 
been  summed  up  in  these  words,  "his  sheep-skin,  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  a  change  of  underwear,  and  twenty-five  cents  in  money." 
His  energy,  cordial  manner,  and  determination  to  succeed  soon, 
however,  won  him  many  friends.  At  first  he  was  associated  with 
Colonel  J.  W.  Alspaugh,  who  was  then  a  newspaper  editor,  law- 
yer, and  the  general  business  man  of  Winston.  Very  soon,  how- 
ever, he  started  out  for  himself,  and  by  his  faithful  devotion  to 
his  clients'  interests  commenced  to  win  a  good  practice.  At  this 
time  Watson  and  Glenn,  two  of  the  very  foremost  lawyers  in 
western  North  Carolina,  Colonel  Joseph  Masten,  and  Judges  T. 
J.  Wilson  and  D.  H.  Starbuck  had  the  entire  practice  of  Forsythe 
County.  The  last  three  named  gentlemen  soon  practically  retired 
on  account  of  age,  leaving  the  field  to  Mr.  Buxton  and  Messrs. 
Watson  and  Glenn.  Single-handed,  Mr.  Buxton  continued  his 
practice,  each  day  establishing  himself  more  firmly  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  and  winning  for  himself  a  splendid  reputation 
both  as  a  counsellor  and  a  trier  of  causes  in  the  Court  House. 
On  October  16,  1877,  Mr.  Buxton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Agnes  C.  Belo,  of  Salem,  North  Carolina,  daughter  of  the  late 


48  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Edward  Belo  and  Amanda  Fries  Belo,  Mr.  Belo  being  the  first 
president  and  prime  mover  in  the  building  of  the  N.  W.  N.  C. 
R.  R.  (now  part  of  the  Southern  System), which  proved  the  source 
and  cause  of  the  present  wealth  and  growth  of  Winston-Salem 
and  that  vicinity.  In  his  marriage  Mr.  Buxton  was  as  wise  as  he 
had  proved  himself  to  be  in  other  matters,  for  he  chose  well,  hav- 
ing in  his  wife  an  estimable,  true,  strong  Christian  woman,  who 
has  added  not  a  little  to  her  husband's  power  and  strength.  In 
1883  Mr.  Buxton  was  elected  Mayor  of  Winston,  and  by  his  en- 
thusiasm and  push  gave  a  new  impetus  to  city  affairs,  many  new 
and  beneficial  changes  being  made  in  its  municipal  management! 
In  1884  without  any  solicitation  on  his  part  he  was  nominated 
and  elected  by  the  people  of  the  32nd  senatorial  district  to  rep- 
resent them  in  the  State  Senate,  and  so  in  January,  1885,  ^^  ^^' 
signed  his  place  as  Mayor  to  become  State  Senator.  As  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  people's  interests  in  the  Senate  Mr.  Buxton  was 
always  vigilant  and  alert.  He  exposed  everything  he  felt  was 
wrong,  and  stood  for  all  that  tended  towards  the  elevation  of  the 
State.  On  one  occasion  he  found  some  bill  with  an  innocent  title 
covering  a  vast  amount  of  legislation  that  was  very  hurtful,  and 
with  his  accustomed  zeal  exposed  the  efforts  of  its  author — ^who 
was  secretly  trying  to  get  it  through — until  he  accomplished  its 
defeat,  the  author  exclaiming,  as  he  saw  the  end  of  his  pet  scheme, 
**That  great  big  man  has  sat  down  on  my  little  bill  and  killed  it." 

In  the  summer  of  1884  J.  C.  Buxton  was  chosen  one  of  the 
delegates  to  the  Democratic  Convention  that  met  in  Chicago,  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  turning  the  votes  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina delegation,  among  whom  were  Senators  Vance  and  Ransom, 
from  Mr.  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  to  Grover  Cleveland,  of  New 
York — ^a  favor  which  Mr.  Cleveland  has  never  forgotten,  as 
shown  by  his  subsequent  acts. 

In  1884  the  firm  of  Watson  and  Glenn  by  mutual  consent  dis- 
continued their  partnership  for  the  practice  of  law,  Mr.  C.  B. 
Watson  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Buxton,  which  partner- 
ship has  continued  unchanged  ever  since,  except  to  admit  to  the 
firm  in  1896  Mr.  T.  W.  Watson,  son  of  the  senior  member. 


JOHN  CAMERON  BUXTON  49 

This  firm  has  been  and  is  now  justly  considered  one  of  the  very 
strongest  in  the  State,  and  has  always  enjoyed  a  most  extensive 
and  lucrative  practice.  During  a  period  of  twenty-one  years  the 
author  of  this  sketch  has  been  intimately  associated  with  the  firm, 
and  can  say  of  them,  individually  and  as  a  firm,  that  in  all  that 
time  he  never  knew  them  to  do  in  their  practice  a  questionable 
or  censurable  act.  They  always  tried  their  cases  openly  and 
fairly,  using  no  uncertain  methods  to  influence  either  judge  or 
jury,  proving  themselves  under  all  circumstances  high-minded, 
able,  honest  lawyers,  who  won  their  victories  by  merit  and  knowl- 
edge, and  lost  cases  by  no  dereliction  of  their  duty,  but  because  the 
law  or  facts  were  against  their  clients.  In  matters  requiring 
exposure,  or  the  unearthing  of  littleness,  Mr.  Buxton  was  par- 
ticularly strong,  and  in  all  cases  where  the  responsibility  was 
thrown  upon  him  he  measured  up  to  the  responsibility,  and  proved 
himself  equal  to  every  emergency.  Twice  in  my  life  I  have  heard 
judges  of  the  Superior  Court  say,  after  listening  to  his  powerful, 
logical  presentation  of  his  case,  "That  was  the  strongest  speech 
I  ever  heard  in  the  Court  House." 

Mr.  Buxton  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  material 
and  educational  development  of  Winston-Salem.  For  years  he 
has  been  president  of  the  Graded  School  Commissioners,  and 
much  of  the  credit  for  Winston's  splendid  city  schools  is  due  to 
him.  Continuing  his  zeal  in  behalf  of  education,  he  induced  Mr. 
Carnegie  to  give  $15,000  for  the  erection  of  a  public  library  in 
Winston,  which  is  not  only  an  ornament  but  a  blessing  to  the 
entire  community. 

In  1890  he  was  elected  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Winston,  having  a  capital  of  $200,000,  holding  this  position 
until  January,  1893,  when  he  resigned  to  attend  to  his  pressing 
law  business.  In  July,  1893,  when  on  account  of  the  panic  pre- 
vailing ever3rwhere  this  bank  failed,  he  was  appointed  by  Comp- 
troller Eccles  to  re-organize  the  bank,  which  he  successfully  did 
until  it  later  consolidated  with  the  People's  Bank  of  Winston. 
Fifteen  years  ago  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Winston-Salem 
Building  and  Loan  Association,  one  of  the  most  successful  and 


so  NORTH  CAROLINA 

helpful  institutions  of  the  Twin-City,  and  has  held  it  ever  since. 
Thus  we  see  that  Mr.  Buxton,  as  well  as  being  an  able  lawyer, 
is  likewise  a  successful  man  and  educator. 

Mr.  Buxton  has  always  been  a  loyal,  sterling  Democrat,  ever 
ready  to  aid  his  party,  even  when  not  himself  a  candidate,  thus 
not  showing  the  selfish  spirit  that  sometimes  marks  our  political 
brethren.  In  addition  to  being  senator  and  delegate  to  the  Na- 
tional Convention,  he  was  also  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State 
Convention  that  met  in  Raleigh  in  July,  1887,  his  address  to  the 
Convention  being  considered  of  unusual  power  and  force.  In 
1900  Mr.  Buxton  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  of  the  Eighth 
Congressional  District  to  represent  them  in  Congress,  and  though 
he  was  defeated,  the  majority  against  him  was  1600  less  than 
against  the  Democratic  nominee  for  president,  thus  showing  it 
was  no  want  of  popularity  on  his  part,  but  the  unfortunate  politi- 
cal complexion  of  the  district.  His  defeat  was  a  great  loss,  for 
North  Carolina  has  few  sons  that  could  and  would  have  made 
a  truer  and  stronger  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
than  Mr.  Buxton.  In  religion  Mr.  Buxton,  inheriting  his  creed 
from  his  deal*  old  father,  whom  he  loved  most  tenderly,  has  al- 
ways been  an  ardent  and  influential  Episcopalian.  He  loves  his 
church  and  the  name  Protestant  Episcopal,  and  when  at  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  of  his  church  that  met  in  San  Francisco  in  1901, 
to  which  he  was  a  delegate,  an  effort  was  made  to  change  the 
name  of  the  church,  he  introduced  a  resolution  against  such 
change,  and  through  the  influence  of  himself  and  other  conserva- 
tive members  who  loved  the  old  name  the  move  was  lost.  He 
has  been  senior  warden  of  his  church  for  many  years,  and  one  of 
its  most  liberal  supporters.  He  also  takes  a  great  interest  in  the 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew,  having  made  several  strong  speeches 
in  its  behalf.  To  show  Mr.  Buxton's  strong  character,  as  well  as 
his  zeal  for  his  church,  at  the  Convention  in  Boston  in  1904,  be- 
ing dissatisfied  with  the  part  a  certain  bishop  of  the  church  had 
taken  in  establishing  a  subway  tavern  where  intoxicating  liquors 
could  be  bought,  he  introduced  a  ringing  resolution  deploring  and 
condemning  the  action  of  said  bishop;  and  though  the  chairman 


JOHN  CAMERON  BUXTON  51 

ruled  his  resolution  out  of  order,  as  reflecting  on  a  member  of  an- 
other house,  to  wit,  the  House  of  Bishops,  still  later  in  a  speech, 
with  words  that  carried  conviction  to  every  heart,  he  scathingly 
denounced  the  efforts  of  any  one,  preacher,  bishop  or  layman, 
who  tried  to  commit  the  church  to  the  encouragement  of 
saloons. 

Mr.  Buxton  has  never  aspired  to  be  called  an  orator,  yet  at 
times,  in  his  powerful  arraignment  of  facts  and  merciless  exposure 
of  crime  and  falsehood,  he  has  risen  to  heights  of  sublimity  and 
power  to  which  few  men  attain. 

The  author  of  this  sketch  has  reason  to  remember  with  grati- 
tude his  power  as  a  speaker,  and  still  blesses  him  for  his  kind 
words.  At  the  Democratic  Convention  of  1904  he  was  requested 
to  place  in  nomination  for  Governor  Forsythe's  candidate,  R.  B. 
Glenn.  His  speech  was  the  last  of  the  many  speeches  made. 
This  is  the  description  that  a  hearer  afterwards  made  of 
the  speech :  '*It  wasn't  pretty ;  it  wasn't  eloquent ;  it  was  simply 
powerful,  grand,  like  the  fearful  onward  rushing  of  mighty 
waters,  sweeping  all  before  it  in  its  resistless  force."  The  ap- 
plause it  brought  attested  its  power. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buxton  have  had  bom  to  them  four  children: 
Cameron  Belo  Buxton,  a  graduate  of  Chapel  Hill,  and  now  hold- 
ing in  Philadelphia  a  splendid  position  as  traffic  agent  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad ;  Miss  Caro  Fries  Bux- 
ton, a  beautiful  and  accomplished  young  lady,  a  graduate  of  Bryn 
Mawr,  Pa.,  now  living  with  her  parents ;  Miss  Anna  Nash  Bux- 
ton, a  splendid  type  of  young  girlhood,  now  attending  Bryn  Mawr 
College;  while  little  Jarvis,  the  idol  of  his  parents,  and  loved  of 
all,  was  taken  when  ten  years  old,  while  pure  in  heart,  to  be  with 
God.  Of  all  Mr.  Buxton's  life,  his  home  life  is  the  best.  De- 
voted to  home  and  family,  he  seeks  his  pleasures  there,  not  at  the 
club  or  lodge,  and  to  know  him  truly  is  to  know  him  at  home.  It 
is  one  of  the  sweetest  homes  in  which  I  have  ever  visited,  sur- 
rounded by  an  atmosphere  of  love  and  a  reign  of  peace. 

That  Mr.  Buxton  has  faults,  and  has  committed  errors,  none 
would  admit  more  readily  than  he,  but  no  one  regrets  his  mis- 


52  NORTH  CAROLINA 

takes  or  sorrows  more  over  his  faults,  and  this  desire  to  profit  by 
his  failures  has  but  insured  his  success. 

Mr.  Buxton  is  a  large,  strong  type,  physically,  mentally  and 
morally,  of  American  manhood,  with  a  heart  as  big  as  his  body 
and  a  nature  too  true  to  be  little.  To  sum  up  his  strong  per- 
sonality and  character  in  a  few  closing  words:  He  is  a  lawyer 
who  is  diligent,  forceful  and  honest.  In  his  political  career  he 
has  always  proved  himself  fearless,  bold  and  above  a  suspicion  of 
using  questionable  methods  to  secure  his  advancement.  With 
his  strength,  however,  there  is  also  gentleness,  for  no  one  sym- 
pathizes more  deeply  with  the  distressed  or  lends  a  more  willing 
hand  to  relieve  suffering.  As  husband,  father,  friend,  and  citi- 
zen he  fills  each  niche  well,  at  home  ruling  through  love,  and  in 
business  succeeding  by  the  strength  of  his  intellect,  using  no  un- 
certain methods. 

Mr.  Buxton  is  yet  young,  just  in  the  prime  of  his  manhood.  The 
State  in  its  present  tide  of  prosperity  needs  such  men  to  help  de- 
velop its  resources  and  direct  its  affairs,  and  it  is  earnestly  to  be 
hoped  that  John  Cameron  Buxton  may  yet  be  spared  for  many 
more  years  of  usefulness  for  the  promotion  of  right  and  the  up- 
building of  the  State. 

R.  B,  Glenn. 


i' /   *         *  -"'3— ^  "^"^      <5         "        ^^ 


Li:\\  !>  .\;.'i  :•:  1    ' 


•"3^?^';:;::, 


t    ,.  *v  r^  "-t .  til. it    >- 1\*/ r  Hi 
•.'.'•"  -  In  t-ntTL;     aiui  n^.  ;  : a  *     ..     ■• 

.: '    ^  ciiT  is  bv  '.';  t'   a  iin'iv'^  ■ . 
'  v^  n,,tTi  in  \\\\'  M'Tc.  and  r.-^ 
1  ■'  y-ati  .^^  thai  V  •  tn)p"ii<  c^i   i 

Iii>  farhf-r.  Ia'W'"  C.'arr,  was  a  \<\ 

M-'r"i;t.Tl,  in  a  rri^ion  r*'mark:'l»U-  .... 

'*   f'X  •^ccno^\  of  iis  !>r  >Vk\\\  l.^Mii- 

.' ]'-r;'.ltivatt"l  ikids.     It  \va>  an  :<' 

-u',r'\   near  to  lmhkI  n^arl-ct^  *'  ■'" 

^'  '':v'(l  l'\'  a  |>r'')*^per<)ns  C('in'niip':  * 

\  -.iuijiT^ily  Mr.  (."arr.  tb,c  fr^'icT, 


•  .  ^'  I.iM'  -■>:x  \ .  ar  s 


LEWIS  ALBERT  CARR 


[MO*NG  the  business  men  of  Durham,  a  town 
whose  remarkable  development  has  been 
brought  about  by  the  joint  efforts  of  her  enter- 
prising citizens,  there  are  but  few  equalling  in 
excellence  and  usefulness  Lewis  Albert  Carr, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Vast  and  varied  are 
the  interests  that  center  in  that  growing  and  prosperous  city,  and 
for  twenty  years  Mr.  Carr  has  been  among  the  foremost  of  her 
citizens  in  energy  and  in  practical  accomplishment,  every  year  con- 
tributing through  his  enterprise  and  loyal  devotion  to  her  expan- 
sion and  substantial  growth. 

Mr.  Carr  is  by  birth  a  native  of  Maryland,  was  trained  as  a  busi- 
ness man  in  Baltimore,  and  has  the  fine  manner  of  the  polished 
gentleman  of  that  metropolis  and  all  the  vigor  and  enterprise  that 
have  distinguished  the  successful  men  of  that  great  mercantile 
and  industrial  centre. 

His  father,  Lewis  Carr,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  Howard  County, 
Maryland,  in  a  region  remarkable  no  less  for  its  salubrity  than  for 
the  fine  scenery  of  its  broken  landscape  and  for  the  fertility  of  its 
well-cultivated  fields.  It  was  an  ideal  country  for  farm-life,  suf- 
ficiently near  to  good  markets  for  all  farm  products,  and  thickly 
settled  by  a  prosperous  community. 
Unhappily  Mr.  Carr,  the  father,  died  when  only  forty-six  years 


54  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  age,  leaving  a  family  of  nine  young  children — six  of  whom  were 
boys  and  three  girls.  The  management  of  the  farm  and  the  rearing 
of  the  children  thus  devolved  on  the  mother,  Mrs.  Jane  M.  Carr, 
who  fortunately  was  a  woman  of  exceptionally  fine  sense  and 
judgment  and  well  versed  in  the  practical  affairs  of  life.  Neces- 
sarily the  boys,  as  they  became  of  sufficient  strength,  were  em- 
ployed in  the  duties  of  their  farm-home.  Their  work  and  pas- 
times, their  labor  and  recreation,  were  not  different  from  those  of 
their  neighbors.  They  followed  the  plow  and  harrow,  cured  the 
hay,  housed  the  com,  and  marketed  the  wheat ;  and  when  the  farm- 
work  of  the  year  was  over  they  attended  the  country  schools  that 
were  taught  during  the  winter  months. 

The  schoolhouse  was  some  four  miles  distant  from  the  Carr 
farm,  and  the  boys  during  its  session  made  the  daily  journey  of 
eight  miles  or  more,  going  and  returning.  This  exercise  and  their 
farm-work  in  the  open  air  had  a  beneficial  effect  in  establishing 
fine  constitutions  and  developing  vigorous  frames  and  well- 
rounded  mental  equipments,  in  some  measure  dispensing  with  the 
necessity  of  the  training  afforded  by  higher  school  advantages. 

At  length  at  the  age  of  seventeen  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
realizing  that  the  farm  no  longer  needed  him,  and  having  a  man's 
ambition  for  a  larger  life,  determined  to  seek  a  business  career  in 
the  neighboring  city  of  Baltimore.  His  education,  while  not  a 
finished  one,  was  far  from  deficient ;  he  was  vigorous,  the  soul  of 
energy,  and  prepossessing  in  manner  and  appearance.  He  soon 
obtained  employment  with  Charles  A.  Gambrill  and  Company,  a 
great  house,  owning  extensive  flouring  mills,  renowned  for  the 
superior  excellence  of  its  flour  and  having  an  established  trade 
throughout  the  entire  South;  but  being  without  experience,  the 
compensation  he  at  first  received  was  only  $5  per  week. 

Having  gained  a  footing  in  that  establishment,  young  Carr  was 
never  allured  to  other  employment  He  remained  steadfast  at  his 
work  and  gradually  rose  in  usefulness,  meriting  the  confidence  of 
his  employers  and  receiving  manifestations  of  their  good  opinion. 
Indeed  he  possessed  those  characteristics  that  were  calculated  to 


win  his  way  in  life^^nd  brings  h 


m  fine  success. 


LEWIS  ALBERT  CARR  55 

For  thirteen  years  he  served  Gambrill  and  Company,  constantly 
growing  in  efficiency  and  developing  his  business  qualities;  and 
then  finding  himself  able  to  enter  upon  an  independent  career,  in 
1883  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  W.  Wolvington,  under  the 
name  of  Wolvington,  Carr  and  Company,  and  established  a  grain 
and  flour  business.  A  thorough  master  of  every  detail  of  the 
wheat  and  flour  trade,  he  brought  to  the  new  firm  ripe  experi- 
ence, and  its  business  was  very  successful. 

On  the  2ist  of  November,  1878,  Mr.  Carr  was  happily  married 
to  Miss  Clara  Watts,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Gerard  S.  Watts,  a  pros- 
perous merchant  of  Baltimore.  She  was  a  sister  of  Mr.  George 
W.  Watts ;  and  after  his  removal  to  Durham,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carr 
were  drawn  also  to  locate  there.  Thus  it  came  about  that  in  1888 
Mr.  Carr  sold  out  his  interest  in  his  Baltimore  business  and  made 
his  home  at  Durham.  He  came  to  Durham  just  as  that  town  was 
recovering  from  some  little  backset  in  its  general  course  of  rapid 
progress,  and  he  contributed  somewhat  to  giving  it  the  increased 
momentum  that  has  ever  since  carried  it  forward  in  its  remark- 
able development. 

The  Durham  Fertilizer  Company  was  then  being  formed.  He 
made  an  investment  in  that  enterprise  and  was  elected  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  company ;  and  from  that  time  his  name  has 
been  closely  associated  with  all  the  great  enterprises  and  immense 
factories  and  vast  interests  that  have  sprung  from  that  parent 
stock. 

Active  and  zealous  in  promoting  every  enterprise  that  would 
tend  to  the  advantage  of  Durham,  he  was  interested  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Durham  and  Northern  Railroad,  and  since  1892 
he  has  been  a  director  of  that  company.  So  also  he  was  a  promo- 
ter of  the  Durham  and  Lynchburg  Railroad  Company,  and  was  a 
director  of  that  company  until  it  was  incorporated  into  the  Nor- 
folk and  Western.  The  benefit  Durham  has  received  from  the 
construction  of  these  additional  railroad  facilities  has  been  beyond 
calculation,  and  the  community  is  largely  indebted  to  the  vigor 
and  enterprise  of  Mr.  Carr  for  their  accomplishment. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Citizens*  Savings  Bank  of 


56  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Durham,  and  for  five  years  served  as  a  director  of  that  institution. 
His  interest  in  the  industrial  welfare  of  the  city  led  him  to  promote 
the  incorporation  of  the  Commonwealth  Cotton  Mills.  Since  1899 
he  has  served  as  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Durham, 
and  the  value  of  his  services  in  connection  with  finances  has  been 
well  recognized  by  his  constant  re-election  as  Vice-President  of 
that  progressive  and  well-managed   institution. 

Besides  his  connection  with  these  well-known  companies,  he 
has  been  interested  in  many  other  enterprises,  not  merely  those  of 
local  interest,  but  others  established  in  various  parts  of  the  State. 
Nor  has  he  concerned  himself  exclusively  with  matters  of  busi- 
ness. Other  lines  of  work  also  interest  him — such  as  the  Watts 
Hospital,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 

Among  his  most  notable  enterprises  was  that  of  establishing 
the  Interstate  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company.  Of  this  he 
was  the  originator,  and  he  achieved  a  fine  success  in  organizing 
and  putting  it  into  operation.  It  was  the  first  independent  tele- 
phone company  organized  in  the  South.  The  work  engaged  his 
close  attention  and  called  forth  his  best  capacity,  and  it  has  been  a 
large  success  and  has  conferred  a  great  benefit  on  many  communi- 
ties in  North  Carolina.  It  also  has  established  exchanges  in  Mary- 
land and  Virginia. 

But  as  varied  and  important  as  have  been  the  indefatigable 
labors  of  Mr.  Carr  in  other  lines,  the  chief  work  of  his  life  is,  by 
common  consent,  that  arising  from  his  connection  with  the  fer- 
tilizer company.  When  the  Durham  Fertilizer  Company  had 
demonstrated  by  its  great  success  the  value  of  that  line  of  business, 
it  was  determined  to  expand,  and  the  Norfolk  and  Carolina  Chem- 
ical Company  was  thereupon  organized.  Mr.  Carr,  who  as  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  parent  concern  exerted  a  powerful  in- 
fluence in  its  affairs,  was  a  chief  factor  in  organizing  the  new 
company,  which  was  owned  by  the  plant  at  Durham.  He  was 
much  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  large  works  at  Pinner's 
Point,  and  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Norfolk  Chemical 
Company  until  it  was  merged  in  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical 
Company.    So  fine  a  field  of  industry  was  here  opened  that,  with 


LEWIS  ALBERT  CARk  57 

a  comprehensive  grasp  of  the  business  interests  involved,  Mr. 
Can*  and  his  associates,  in  1895,  determined  to  bring  the  different 
properties  manufacturing  fertilizers  in  the  State,  and  some  else- 
where, under  the  direction  of  one  management ;  and  the  Virginia- 
Carolina  Chemical  Company  was  formed  with  that  object.  Mr. 
Carr,  who  had  achieved  such  remarkable  success  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Durham  Company  and  of  the  Norfolk  and  Carolina 
Chemical  Company,  now  became  Managing  Director  of  the  North 
Carolina  Division  of  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical  Company, 
and  he  held  that  important  position  until  the  reorganization  in 
1903.  At  that  time  various  changes  were  made  in  the  system  of 
management,  and  to  Mr.  Carr  was  committed  the  very  important 
work  of  Manager  of  the  North  Carolina  Sales  Department  of  the 
Company.  In  connection  with  the  affairs  of  this  great  company, 
one  of  the  largest  industrial  organizations  of  the  world,  Mr.  Carr 
has  been  a  director  of  the  Southern  Cotton  Oil  Company,  and  is  a 
director  of  the  Navassa  Guano  Company  of  Wilmington,  and  of 
the  Charleston  Mining  and  Manufacturing  Company  of  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina. 

In  all  the  large  duties  of  his  several  positions  Mr.  Carr  has  ex- 
hibited a  ccMTiprehensive  intelligence,  a  careful  thought,  a  rapid 
determination,  and  an  unwavering  attention  to  business  that  have 
gained  for  him  high  rank  as  a  manager  of  affairs  and  brought 
him  fine  reputation  for  administrative  ability. 

As  a  citizen  he  has  ever  been  quick  to  join  others  in  advancing 
the  interests  of  his  community,  and  has  been  among  the  foremost 
of  those  men  who  have  placed  Durham  on  her  substantial  basis 
of  prosperity.  While  never  seeking  political  preferment,  he  has, 
in  order  to  be  useful  to  his  town,  served  four  years  as  Alderman  of 
Durham.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat ;  and  he  is  zealous  for  the 
advancement  of  his  friends,  while  not  caring  for  public  applause 
or  station  for  himself. 

His  religious  affiliations  are  with  the  Presbyterians,  and  he  is 
a  member  and  a  deacon  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Dur- 
ham, and  contributes  liberally,  not  merely  to  his  church  but  gen- 
erally to  all  the  charities  that  appeal  to  his  benevolence. 


S8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Busy  as  he  is,  he  has  but  little  leisure  to  pass  in  recreation,  but 
he  is  very  fond  of  the  hunt  and  occasionally  joins  his  friends  in 
that  sport. 

Mr.  Carr's  home  at  Durham  from  the  time  of  his  first  arrival 
has  ever  been  a  notable  feature  in  the  social  life  of  his  com- 
munity. But  after  twenty  years  of  happy  wedded  life  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  his  first  wife,  who,  dying  on  March  12, 
1898,  was  survived  by  four  children :  one  son  and  three  daughters. 
The  eldest  of  these  daughters  was  married  on  November  7,  1900, 
to  Mr.  George  L.  Lyon,  a  grandson  of  the  late  Mr.  Washington 
Duke.  On  May  2,  1900,  Mr.  Carr  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  B. 
Carroll,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  O.  J.  Carroll,  of  Raleigh,  and  one  of 
the  loveliest  of  her  sex. 

S.  A,  Ashe, 


PETER  CARTERET 

N  the  death  of  Samuel  Stephens,  about  the  end 
of  the  year  1669,  he  was  succeeded  by  Peter 
Carteret,  who  was  probably  chosen  President 
by  the  Council  at  that  time,  and  a  few  months 
later  was  appointed  by  the  Proprietors  in  Eng- 
land. At  the  meeting  of  the  Proprietors  in 
January,  1670,  Sir  George  Carteret  named  Peter  Carteret  as  his 
Deputy,  and  probably  they  were  of  the  same  family.  Peter  Car- 
teret came  to  Albemarle  in  the  Fall  of  1664.  In  the  first  letter  of 
instructions  to  Sir  William  Berkeley  the  Proprietors  mentioned 
that  they  reserved  the  nomination  of  a  surveyor  and  a  secretary 
as  officers  particularly  charged  with  taking  care  of  their  interests. 
They  mentioned  that  Sir  George  Carteret  had  recommended 
Monsieur  Lepreyrie  for  surveyor  and  Lord  Berkeley  had  recom- 
mended Richard  Cobthrop  for  secretary,  who  promised  to  be  ready 
to  go  out  within  a  month.  These  gentlemen,  however,  did  not 
go,  but  instead,  Thomas  Woodward  was  the  surveyor,  and  Peter 
Carteret  the  first  secretary;  and  it  appears  that  Carteret  brought 
over  with  him  the  commission  and  instructions  for  Governor 
Drummond  in  the  Fall  of  1664.  His  office  of  secretary  was  of 
importance,  as  he  kept  the  record  of  all  the  surveys,  and  it  was 
upon  his  certificate  that  the  Governor  made  the  grants.  Thomas 
Woodward  says  of  Carteret  in  his  letter  of  June  2,  1665 :  "I  make 
no  question  but  Mr.  Carteret,  our  secretary,  will  answer  all  your 


6o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

expectations,  for  I  assure  you  that  he  is  diligent."  It  may  be 
assumed  that  from  that  time  onward  Peter  Carteret  was  the  Dep- 
uty and  representative  in  Carolina  of  Sir  George  Carteret.  It  is 
said  that  he  was  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  of  Albemarle. 

The  instructions  sent  him  as  Governor  in  1670  required  him 
to  put  in  force  the  grand  model  of  Government  as  near  as  may 
be — "and  not  being  able  at  present  to  put  it  fully  in  practice  by 
reason  of  the  want  of  Landgraves  and  Cassiques  and  a  sufficient 
number  of  people,  however,  intending  to  come  as  nigh  it  as  we 
can  in  the  present  state  of  affairs  in  all  the  colony  of  our  said 
Province,  you  are  therefore  required  to  have  the  four  precincts 
elect  five  representatives  each,  and  then,  the  five  persons  chosen 
by  us  being  added,  and  who  for  the  present  represent  the  No- 
bility, are  to  be  the  Assembly."  The  Assembly  was  to  elect  five 
persons,  who,  being  joined  with  the  five  deputed  by  the  Pro- 
prietors, were  to  compose  the  Council.  The  Governor  and  the  five 
Deputies  were  to  be  the  Palatine's  Court.  The  Governor,  with 
the  consent  of  the  Council,  was  to  establish  other  Courts.  The 
Assembly  was  to  make  the  laws,  which,  being  ratified  by  th«  Gov- 
ernor and  any  three  of  the  five  Deputies,  were  to  be  in  force  as 
under  the  Fundamental  Constitutions. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  changes  in  the  polity  required  by  these 
instructions,  which  supplanted  and  took  the  place  of  the  Funda- 
mental Constitutions,  were  neither  numerous  nor  important. 
There  being  no  nobility,  that  element  in  government  provided 
for  in  the  Constitution  found  a  substitute  in  the  Deputies  and  in 
five  other  persons  elected  by  the  representatives  of  the  people; 
and  this  addition  to  the  Council  of  persons  chosen  by  the  As- 
sembly made  that  body  more  responsive  to  the  will  of  the  people. 
In  that  respect  the  change  was  towards  popular  rights. 

It  is  true  that  one  of  the  provisions  of  the  Constitutions  was  that 
the  people  should  take  an  oath  or  affirmation  to  observe  them  and 
to  abide  by  them;  but  yet  the  Constitutions  had  no  vitality  or 
operation  beyond  what  was  contained  in  the  instructions  to  the 
Governors.  Still  they  hung  somewhat  as  a  cloud  over  the  people, 
and  there  are  traces  of  popular  discontent.     During  the  Miller 


PETER  CARTERET  6i 

troubles  some  of  the  people  raised  the  cry  that  "they  did  not  want 
Landgraves  and  Cassiques/'  but  the  leaders  in  that  affair  quickly 
told  them  not  to  say  that ;  they  were  not  quarreling  with  the  Lords 
Proprietors. 

There  was,  however,  a  matter  of  more  vital  import  that  caused 
dissatisfaction.  Under  the  Great  Deed  the  rent  was  a  farthing  an 
acre,  payable  in  commodities;  while  the  Constitutions  prescribed 
a  rent  of  as  much  silver  as  is  contained  in  a  penny,  thus  increasing 
the  rent  fourfold  and  making  it  payable  in  money.  This 
provision,  however,  was  never  enforced.  When  the  Proprie- 
tors later  gave  instructions  that  such  rents  should  be  collected, 
the  people  demurred,  and  the  Proprietors  eventually  recognized 
the  validity  of  their  agreement  contained  in  the  Great  Deed. 

So  far  as  the  changes  inaugurated  in  Carteret's  time  were  of 
interest  to  the  people,  they  seemed  rather  to  subserve  the  public 
convenience  than  to  be  a  cause  of  irritation  and  discontent.  The 
county  was  laid  off  into  four  precincts,  and  Precinct  Courts  were 
established  and  other  changes  were  made  that  came  naturally  with 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  colony.  At  the  session  of  the 
Assembly  in  April,  1672,  more  than  fifty-four  Acts  were  passed, 
which,  however,  probably  embraced  all  former  laws  then  re- 
enacted. 

While  the  administration  of  Carteret  is  thus  historic  because 
of  the  alteration  in  the  system  of  government,  it  is  also  historic 
because  it  witnessed  the  introduction  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
among  the  people.  Both  under  the  Concessions  and  the  Consti- 
tutions there  was  absolute  freedom  of  conscience  and  religious 
toleration.  In  1672  Edmundson  and  George  Cox  both  visited  Albe- 
marle. The  latter  says  that  he  found  only  one  Quaker  there, 
Phillips,  who  had  not  seen  a  Friend  for  seven  years.  The  former 
mentions  having  borrowed  a  canoe  and  "with  this  boat  we  went 
to  the  Governor's.  The  Governor,  with  his  wife,  received  us  lov- 
ingly; but  a  doctor  there  would  needs  dispute  with  us."  From 
this  it  appears  that  Carteret  was  married  and  that  he  was  a  man 
of  kindly  disposition.  Fox  continues :  "We  tarried  at  the  Gov- 
ernor's that  night ;  and  next  morning  he  very  courteously  walked 


62  NORTH  CAROLINA 

with  us  himself  about  two  miles  through  the  woods  to  a  place 
whither  he  had  sent  our  boat  about  to  meet  us."  The  visits  of 
these  Quaker  preachers  marked  the  rise  of  the  Quaker  sect  in  the 
colony. 

In  1672,  during  his  administration,  new  navigation  laws  and 
customs  duties  were  passed  in  England,  and  it  was  required  by  the 
Crown  authorities  that  these  laws  should  be  enforced  in  Albe- 
marle, and  they  interfered  with  the  established  trade  of  the  Col- 
ony. The  new  element  introduced  into  the  Council  by  the  ad- 
mission of  five  inhabitants  elected  by  the  Assembly  changed  the 
attitude  of  that  body  toward  public  measures  and  brought  it  under 
the  rule  of  the  people  themselves.  The  Council  was  no  longer 
in  harmony  with  the  Governor.  Carteret's  efforts  to  compose 
differences  were  fruitless.  He  wearied  of  the  attempt;  and  his 
three  years'  term  being  about  to  expire,  he  laid  down  his  office 
and  went  to  England,  probably  with  the  hope  that  he  might  suc- 
ceed in  having  the  causes  of  dissatisfaction  remedied.  On  the 
25th  of  May,  1673,  2t  Council  was  held  at  the  house  of  Thomas 
Godfrey.  Carteret  had  then  sailed  for  home,  and  Colonel  John 
Jenkins,  the  senior  member  of  the  Council,  presided  as  Deputy- 
Governor.     It  does  not  appear  that  Carteret  ever  returned. 

5*.  A.  Ashe. 


GEORGE  CATCHMAID 

5EORGE  CATCHMAID,  the  first  Speaker  of 
the  Assembly  of  whom  there  is  any  particular 
mention,  is  an  interesting  character  in  our  his- 
torical annals  because  of  the  events  and  inci- 
dents with  which  he  was  connected.  Of  his 
personal  history  but  little  is  known.  He  is  de- 
scribed in  the  grants  made  to  him  as  being  of  the  rank  of  "Gen- 
tleman," and  "of  Treslick."  He  came  to  Carolina  in  1662 ;  is  said 
to  have  brought  into  the  settlement  sixty-seven  persons  ;^  was  the 
Speaker  of  the  Assembly  at  the  session  of  the  Summer  of  1666;* 
shortly  afterwards  he  died,  and  his  widow  married  Timothy 
Biggs.  He  left  no  children ;  and  many  years  afterwards  Edward 
Catchmaid,  of  London,  claiming  to  be  his  nephew  and  heir,  sought 
to  obtain  possession  of  his  lands  in  Albemarle.  This  is  a  brief- 
statement  of  the  known  facts  of  his  life.  But  in  connection  with 
him  several  important  matters  relating  to  the  settlement  of  Albe- 
marle and  concerning  the  early  inhabitants  have  been  incidentally 
recorded. 

Some  writers  have  thought  that  the  first  settlement  on  the 
Chowan  was  under  a  grant  to  Roger  Green,  which  was  made  by 
the  Grand  Assembly  of  Virginia  in  1653,  ^^  behalf  of  himself 
and  certain  inhabitants  of  Nansemond  River.  This  grant  offered 
10,000  acres  of  land  to  the  first  hundred  persons  who  should  seat 

*  Bancroft,   Vol.   2,   p.    135. 

•  C.  R.,  Vol.  I,  p.  152. 


64  NORTH  CAROLINA 

themselves  on  Roanoke  River  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  Chowan 
River  and  its  branches.  It  was  made  after  Virginia  had  sub- 
mitted to  Parliament  and  when  there  was  not  only  no  oppression 
of  dissenters  in  Virginia,  but  when  every  freeman  in  the  Old 
Dominion  had  the  right  to  vote,  and  the  Legislature  elected  the 
Governor  and  all  other  officers,  and  the  only  religious  restriction 
was  one  forbidding  the  use  of  the  Prayer  Book  in  churches. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  any  settlement  was  ever  made  under 
this  grant ;  and  Bancroft  says  particularly  "that  these  conditional 
grants  seemed  not  to  have  taken  effect/'^  It  is  to  be  further  ob- 
served that  the  lands  explored  by  Roger  Green  and  mentioned  in 
this  grant  were  not  on  the  shores  of  the  Sound,  but  south  of  the 
branches  of  the  Chowan,  which  was  not  in  the  limits  of  Caro- 
lina. The  authorities  in  Virginia  well  knew  that  the  territory 
south  of  the  36th  degree  of  latitude  had  been  long  since  granted 
by  the  Crown  under  the  name  of  Carolina,  and  was  not  under  their 
jurisdiction. 

In  a  suit  growing  out  of  George  Catchmaid's  settlement  in 
Carolina,  the  record  of  which  is  preserved  by  Doctor  Hawks  in 
his  second  volume,  page  132,  some  account  is  given  of  those  who 
first  seated  themselves  on  the  shores  of  Albemarle  Sound.  From 
that  record  it  appears  that  George  Durant  came  in  company  with 
the  "first  seaters,"  but  for  two  years  he  occupied  himself  with 
finding  out  the  country  and  selecting  a  good  location.  Having 
done  that,  he  purchased  from  the  King  of  the  Yeopim  Indians  a 
certain  neck  of  land  on  Perquimans  River,  receiving  his  deed  on 
the  first  day  of  March,  1661  ( 1662)  ;*  and  from  this  it  would  ap- 
pear that  the  "first  seaters"  came  in  1659  or  1660.  George  Durant, 
while  beginning  his  clearing,  encouraged  Catchmaid  to  seat  a  tract 
of  land  adjoining  his  own,  and  Catchmaid  sent  in  1662  Richard 
Watridge  with  three  hands  to  settle  and  seat  the  said  lands ;  and  a 
month  later  Catchmaid,  having  come  to  Albemarle,  informed 
Durant  that  Governor  Berkeley  had  then  lately  returned  from 
England,  and  had  announced  that  the  settlers  at  Albemarle  should 

*  Bancroft,  Vol.  2.  p.  134. 

*At  that  time  the  year  began  March  25th,  and  not  January  ist. 


GEORGE  CATCHMAID  65 

hold  no  longer  under  Indian  titles,  but  that  he  would  grant  patents 
to  those  desiring  them :  and  Catchmaid  proposed  to  take  out  pat- 
ents for  the  land  occupied  by  both  Durant  and  himself. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  Governor  Berkeley  did  go  to  England,  and 
while  there  mentioned  to  the  King  these  new  plantations  in  Caro- 
lina outside  of  Virginia,  and  asked  for  instructions,  and  the  King 
directed  that  he  should  require  those  settlers  who  had  bought 
their  lands  from  the  Indians  to  take  out  patents  and  grants  from 
Virginia.  Berkeley  returned  in  the  Summer  of  1662:  so  Wat- 
ridge's  arrival  on  Durant's  Neck  was  in  the  Fall  of  1662. 

Catchmaid  accordingly  procured  a  patent  for  3,333  acres  of 
land,  the  date  of  the  same  apparently  being  prior  to  the  13th  day 
of  March,  1662  (1663),  for  on  that  day  he  made  an  agreement 
in  writing  to  convey  Durant's  part  of  the  land  to  him,  which, 
however,  he  failed  to  do ;  and  thus  arose  the  occasion  of  the  law- 
suit many  years  after  his  death. 

Besides  this  grant  of  more  than  three  thousand  acres,  made 
before  March,  1662  (1663),  Governor  Berkeley,  as  Governor  of 
Virginia,  also  made  another  grant  to  Catchmaid  for  importing 
thirty  persons  into  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  dated  25th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1663,  six  months  later.  This  last  grant  was  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  former  one,  but  appears  to  have  been  entirely  distinct 
from  it.  It  would  seem  that  in  addition  to  the  sixty-seven  per- 
sons that  Bancroft  says  "Catchmaid  established  in  Carolina,"  he 
also  brought  into  the  Colony  of  Virginia  thirty  other  persons.  On 
that  same  day,  September  25,  1663,  Governor  Berkeley  made 
grants,  which  have  been  preserved,  for  lands  at  Albemarle,  indi- 
cating that  at  least  one  hundred  persons  had  been  brought  into 
Virginia  by  those  to  whom  these  lands  were  granted.  It  would 
therefore  seem  that  planters  of  considerable  substance  were  con- 
cerned in  this  first  settlement ;  such  indeed  is  the  statement  of  John 
Lawson,  the  first  historian  of  North  Carolina,  who  wrote  in  1708 
and  knew  what  the  people  of  Albemarle  said  about  it.    He  says : 

"A  second  settlement  (after  Walter  Raleigh's)  of  this  country  was  made 
about  fifty  years  ago,  in  that  part  we  now  call  Albemarle  County,  and 
chiefly  in  Chowan  Precinct,  by  several  substantial  planters  from  Virginia 
and  other  plantations." 


66  NORTH  CAROLINA 

After  mentioning  some  of  the  difficulties  of  the  new  settlement, 
he  continued: 

"Nevertheless,  I  say,  the  fame  of  this  new-discovered  Summer  country 
spread  through  the  neighboring  Colonies,  and  in  a  few  years  drew  a  con- 
siderable number  of  families  thereto." 

The  next  resident  to  write  of  North  Carolina  was  Doctor 
Brickell,  who,  after  residing  in  Albemarle,  substantially  repeats 
what  Lawson  wrote :  and  so  Lawson*s  account  of  the  settlement 
would  seem  to  have  been  in  agreement  with  local  traditions. 

Conditions  of  freedom  continued  to  exist  in  Virginia  until  after 
the  Restoration,  when  a  political  revolution  set  in  which  eventu- 
ated in  restoring  the  old  order  of  things,  religious  as  well  as  tem- 
poral. If  Roger  Green,  clerk,  was  a  minister  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  in  1653  designed  to  lead  his  flock  into  the  wilder- 
ness because  of  the  overthrow  of  the  Church  of  Virginia,  ten  years 
later  the  requirement  that  the  whole  Liturgy  should  be  read,  and 
that  no  Nonconformists  might  teach  even  in  private  under  pain  of 
banishment,  doubtless  tended  to  drive  the  Independents  into  Caro- 
lina. Thus  it  may  be  that  after  the  first  settlements,  subsequent 
accessions  to  the  inhabitants  of  Albemarle  were  influenced  by  re- 
ligious intolerance  in  the  Old  Dominion;  and  after  the  grant  of 
Carolina  to  Governor  Berkeley  and  his  brother  and  the  other  Pro- 
prietors, Berkeley  probably  viewed  such  a  movement  with  satisfac- 
tion, as  it  promoted  his  personal  interests.  Yet  it  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  Woodward,  the  surveyor,  in  1665,  does  not  mention 
such  an  influence  as  aiding  the  settlement  of  the  Colony.  In  1664 
Drummond  was  appointed  governor,  Carteret  the  secretary,  and 
Woodward  the  surveyor.  The  Proprietors  limited  grants  to  fifty 
acres  and  charged  half-penny  an  acre  quit-rent,  while  in  Virginia 
the  rent  was  one  shilling  for  fifty  acres.  The  first  Assembly  that 
met  petitioned  the  Proprietors  for  the  same  terms  as  existed  in 
Virginia,  and  Woodward  in  June,  1665,  wrote  urging  their  ac- 
quiescence. He  mentioned  that  he  had  many  years  been  en- 
deavoring and  encouraging  to  seat  Albemarle,  and  he  urged  a 
larger  apportionment  than  fifty  acres  to  the  person,  saying:  "To 


GEORGE  CATCHMAID  67 

think  that  any  men  will  remove  from  Virginia  upon  harder  con- 
ditions than  they  can  live  there,  will  prove,  I  fear,  a  vain  imagina- 
tion, it  being  land  only  that  they  come  for."  This  would  seem 
to  be  in  line  with  the  traditions  of  the  settlement  as  perpetuated 
by  Lawson,  and  apparently  negatives  the  idea  that  the  settlers 
were  seeking  the  wilderness  to  escape  from  religious  oppression. 
But  however  it  may  have  been  in  regard  to  the  Independents, 
it  is  quite  certain  that  the  Quakers  did  not  make  the  first  settle- 
ment. In  167 1,  ten  years  after  Durant's  party  had  built  their 
cabins,  Edmundson  came  to  Albemarle  and  found  only  one  Friend 
there,  Phillips,  and  he  had  been  there  only  seven  years.  He  and 
his  wife  came  from  New  England.  However,  Edmundson  made 
several  converts  at  that  time ;  and  Fox,  who  followed  him  the  next 
year,  says  that  he  also  made  "a  little  entrance  for  the  truth  among 
the  people  in  the  north  part  of  Carolina."  Three  or  four  years 
later  Edmundson  again  visited  Albemarle  and  "turned  several 
to  the  Lord ;"  "people  were  tender  and  loving,  and  there  was  no 
room  for  the  priests,  for  Friends  were  finely  settled,  and  I  felt 
things  were  well  among  them."  Indeed,  from  a  memorial  made  by 
the  Quakers  in  1677  ^^  appears  that  there  were  then  at  least  twenty 
members  of  that  faith  in  the  Colony  who  had  settled  in  Carolina 
as  early  as  1663  and  1664.  Necessarily  their  conversion  was  the 
work  of  Edmundson  and  Fox,  and  the  Quaker  element  in  the 
Colony  is  to  be  dated  from  that  period,  some  ten  or  twelve  years 
subsequent  to  the  original  settlement.  To  the  same  effect  is  the 
statement  of  Governor  Walker  in  1703,^  who  then  wrote: 

"George  Fox,  some  years  ago,  came  into  these  parts,  and,  by  strange 
infatuations,  did  infuse  the  Quaker  principles  into  some  small  number  of 
the  people ;  which  did  and  hath  continued  to  grow  ever  since  very  numer- 
ous, by  reason  of  their  yearly  sending  in  men  to  encourage  and  exhort 
them  to  their  wicked  principles." 

While  the  Friends  constantly  grew  in  strength,  it  was  not  until 
the  end  of  the  century  that  any  other  denomination  of  Christians 
had  either  a  minister  or  a  house  of  worship  in  Albemarle.     It 

*C.  R.,  Vol.  I,  p.  572. 


68  NORTH  CAROLINA 

would  thus  seem  that  the  inhabitants  were  not  particularly  de- 
voted or  interested  in  their  religious  affiliations. 

Catchmaid  was  probably  Speaker  of  the  first  Assembly,  held 
prior  to  the  month  of  June  in  1665.  He  was  Speaker  of  that 
held  in  the  Summer  of  1666.  Tobacco-planting  in  Albemarle 
was  then  so  considerable  that  in  June,  1666,  Maryland  appointed 
commissioners  to  arrange  with  Virginia  and  "the  Southward 
plantations"  for  the  cessation  of  planting  tobacco  for  one  year 
in  the  three  colonies;  and  the  Legislature  of  Carolina  assented 
to  this.  In  transmitting  the  Act  authorizing  this  agreement  in 
the  Summer  of  1666  there  was  some  delay  because  of  an  Indian 
War  which  prevented  the  messengers  leaving  Carolina. 

It  was  doubtless  while  Catchmaid  was  Speaker  that  the  Act 
was  passed  providing  for  civil  marriages,  similar  to  the  law  in 
Virginia  from  1654  to  the  Restoration;  and  another  providing 
that  settlers  should  be  exempt  from  actions  for  debt,  that  being  a 
law  earlier  in  force  in  Virginia.  Certainly  the  Speaker  of  the  As- 
sembly exerted  no  little  influence  in  the  new  settlement  and  con- 
tributed much  to  its  growth.  It  is  apparent  that  a  considerable 
number  of  settlers  were  received  from  Massachusetts,  and  that 
at  a  very  early  day  New  England  traders  established  connections 
in  Albemarle  and  sought  to  engross  the  trade  and  commercial 
dealings  of  the  settlement.  As  Catchmaid  was  not  only  a  man 
of  substance,  but  a  leader  in  directing  public  matters  and  a  man 
of  some  social  standing,  "a  gentleman,"  he  must  have  made  an 
impress  as  such  on  the  colony. 

His  widow  married  Timothy  Biggs,  Deputy  of  the  Earl  of 
Craven,  and  Comptroller  and  Surveyor-General  of  His  Majesty's 
Customs.  His  action  as  a  customs  officer  had  much  to  do  with 
bringing  on  Culpepper's  Rebellion  in  1677.  Biggs  had  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  Quakers,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  been  of  that 
faith;  at  any  rate  he  was  belligerent,  for  in  1678,  when  he  had 
gone  to  England,  he  recommended  to  the  Lords  Proprietors  to 
send  an  armed  vessel  to  Albemarle,  and  to  enlist  a  body  of  troops 
in  Virginia  to  suppress  the  rebels.  The  Proprietors,  however, 
warned  him  to  hold  his  peace,  and  his  bloody  plan  was  not 
favorably  considered.  S,  A.  Ashe, 


BENJAMIN    CLEVELAND 

F  all  the  fierce  frontiersmen  whose  activity 
spread  consternation  among  the  partisans  of 
King  George  in  the  Southern  campaigns  of  the 
American  Revolution  not  one  stood  higher  than 
Colonel  Benjamin  Cleveland,  who  was  born 
May  26,  1738.  Thanks  to  the  splendid  histori- 
cal effort  of  Doctor  Lyman  C.  Draper  in  his  volume  entitled 
"King's  Mountain  and  Its  Heroes/'  as  well  as  to  the  works  of  less 
importance,  we  are  enabled  to  present  for  the  consideration  of 
our  readers  a  sketch  of  the  career  of  this  remarkable  man. 
Prince  William  County,  Virginia,  was  the  birthplace  of  Ben- 
jamin Cleveland ;  and  his  father's  home  was  on  Bull  Run,  a  stream 
whose  name  was  later  to  be  known  in  all  quarters  of  the  globe  as 
the  opening  scene  of  the  greatest  of  American  wars  in  1861. 
While  still  a  child  young  Cleveland  was  carried  sixty  miles  west- 
ward to  Orange  County,  Virginia,  when  his  father  removed  to  the 
latter  locality.  His  new  home  was  about  six  miles  above  the  junc- 
tion of  Bull  Run  with  the  Rapidan  River. 

The  personal  prowess  for  which  Cleveland  was  distinguished 
in  the  maturity  of  life  was  manifested  in  early  childhood,  and 
Draper  tells  us  that  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  he  seized  his  father's 
gun  and  put  to  flight  a  party  of  drunken  rowdies  who  were  rais- 
ing a  disturbance  at  his  home  while  John  Cleveland,  the  father, 
was  absent.     Having  "an  unconquerable  aversion  to  the  tame 


70  NORTH  CAROLINA 

drudgery  of  farm-life,"  young  Qeveland  soon  became  famous  as 
a  hunter,  and  ranged  the  g^eat  forests  of  his  neighborhood  in 
search  of  big  game.  To  him  the  life  of  a  hunter  was  a  source  of 
profit  as  well  as  pleasure,  for  the  hides,  furs,  and  pelts  won  by  his 
rifle  brought  him  no  inconsiderable  income.  Tradition  says  that 
Cleveland  saw  some  service  in  the  French  and  Indian  War  and 
there  received  his  first  schooling  as  a  soldier.  Before  leaving 
Virginia  he  married,  in  Orange  County,  Mary  Graves,  daughter 
of  a  gentleman  of  some  fortune,  who  later  came  with  his  own 
family  and  that  of  his  son-in-law  to  North  Carolina. 

It  was  about  the  year  1769  that  the  above  party  settled  in  North 
Carolina.  Qeveland  first  cultivated  a  farm  on  the  waters  of 
Roaring  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Yadkin  River,  later  removing 
to  a  river  bend  of  the  Yadkin  which  (from  its  horseshoe  shape) 
was  called  "The  Round  About."  In  after  years,  when  the  cele- 
brated Daniel  Boone  was  a  resident  of  the  Yadkin  Valley,  his 
tales  of  the  hunting-grounds  to  the  westward  so  stirred  the  rest- 
less blood  of  Cleveland  that  in  1772  he  set  out  with  a  party  of  four 
companions — ^five  men  in  all — ^to  Kentucky.  These  men  were  set 
upon  by  a  large  band  of  Cherokee  Indians,  who  robbed  them  of 
all  their  belongings,  guns  included,  and  ordered  them  to  return  to 
the  place  from  whence  they  came.  After  a  painful  journey  the 
half-famished  hunters  finally  succeeded  in  reaching  the  settle- 
ment of  the  white  race  once  more.  Cleveland  later  returned  to 
the  Cherokee  country  for  the  purpose  of  recovering  his  horse, 
and  accomplished  that  object  with  the  help  of  some  friendly  In- 
dians furnished  him  by  Big  Bear,  a  chief  of  the  Cherokee  nation. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  Cleveland  was  com- 
missioned an  ensign  in  the  2nd  North  Carolina  Continental 
Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Robert  Howe,  on  September  i, 
177s;  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  Januar)% 
1776,  and  became  captain  in  November,  1776,  later  resigning  from 
the  Continental  Line,  or  Regulars,  and  entering  the  militia.  He 
bore  some  part  in  the  Moore's  Creek  campaign  in  the  Spring  of 
1776.  In  the  Spring  of  1777  Cleveland  commanded  a  company 
of  volunteers  against  the  Cherokees;  but  in  the  following  July 


BENJAMIN  CLEVELAND  71 

peace  with  the  Indians  was  effected  by  the  treaty  of  the  Long 
Island  of  Holston. 

The  County  of  Wilkes  was  formed  in  1777,  chiefly  through  the 
instrumentality  of  Captain  Cleveland,  and  he  was  made  colonel  of 
the  militia  forces  of  the  new  county  in  August,  1778.  In  1778 
Colonel  Cleveland  represented  Wilkes  in  the  North  Carolina 
House  of  Commons,  and  was  State  Senator  therefrom  in  1779. 
In  this  county  he  was  also  Presiding  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Pleas 
and  Quarter  Sessions. 

To  tell  in  full  of  the  desperate  encounters  in  which  Qeveland 
engaged  would  fill  a  volume.  He  was  constantly  engaged  against 
the  enemy,  in  1777  serving  in  Indian  campaigns,  going  on  the  ex- 
pedition to  Georgia  in  1778,  and  returning  in  1779,  and  after- 
wards marching  against  the  Tories  at  Ramseur's  Mill,  though  he 
did  not  reach  that  place  in  time  for  the  battle  which  was  fought 
there  on  June  20,  1780. 

"Old  Round  About,"  as  Qeveland  was  familiarly  known  (tak- 
ing that  sobriquet  from  his  plantation  of  the  same  name),  prob- 
ably had  a  hand  in  hanging  more  Tories  than  any  other  man  in 
America.  Though  this  may  be  an  unenviable  distinction,  he  had 
to  deal  with  about  as  unscrupulous  a  set  of  ruffians  as  ever  in- 
fested any  land — ^men  who  murdered  peaceable  inhabitants,  burnt 
dwellings,  stole  horses,  and  committed  about  every  other  act  in  the 
catalogue  of  crime.  Draper  gives  a  number  of  instances  where 
this  fierce  partisan  avenged  with  hemp  the  wrongs  of  his  neigh- 
borhood. But  Qeveland  was  not  always  a  man  of  a  relentless 
mood.  On  one  occasion,  related  by  Draper,  a  particularly  ob- 
noxious character  was  finally  captured,  and  Cleveland  called  out : 
"Waste  no  time ! — swing  him  off  quick !"  Instead  of  being  ap- 
palled by  his  approaching  doom,  the  man  turned  to  the  colonel  and 
remarked  with  perfect  coolness :  "Well,  you  needn't  be  in  such  a 
d — d  big  hurry  about  it."  Struck  with  admiration  at  this  display 
of  bravery,  Qeveland  exclaimed :  "Boys,  let  him  go  I"  This  act 
of  magnanimity,  from  a  source  so  unexpected,  completely  won 
over  the  Tory,  who  at  once  enlisted  under  Cleveland's  banner  and 
became  one  of  his  most  faithful  and  devoted  followers. 


72  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Says  the  historian  above  quoted : 

"Qeveland  was  literally  *all  things  to  all  people/  By  his  severities  he 
awed  and  intimidated  not  a  few — restraining  them  from  lapsing  into  Tory 
abominations;  by  his  kindness,  forbearance,  and  even  tenderness  winning 
over  many  to  the  glorious  cause  he  loved  so  well." 

The  battle  in  which  Cleveland  gained  his  greatest  renown  was 
that  fought  at  King's  Mountain  on  the  7th  of  October,  1780.  The 
rendezvous  preparatory  to  this  ever-memorable  engagement  was 
at  Quaker  Meadows,  a  plantation  owned  by  the  McDowell  family 
in  Burke  County,  near  the  present  town  of  Morganton.  Here 
the  members  of  Cleveland's  command  were  joined  by  their  com- 
patriots. The  battle  of  King's  Mountain  was  fortunately  a  great 
and  overwhelming  victory  for  the  Americans ;  and  among  all  the 
desperate  fighters  there  engaged  not  one  showed  more  personal 
courage  than  Colonel  Cleveland.  A  description  in  detail  of  the 
battle  could  not  be  placed  in  a  brief  sketch  such  as  the  present, 
and  so  for  fuller  particulars  we  must  refer  the  reader  to  works 
which  have  been  devoted  to  that  great  event.  When  the  victory 
was  cpmplete,  and  the  British  commander,  Colonel  Ferguson, 
had  been  killed,  that  officer's  horse  was,  by  common  consent, 
turned  over  to  Colonel  Cleveland  because  the  latter  "was  too  un- 
wieldy to  travel  on  foot,"  and  had  lost  his  own  horse  during  the 
battle.  In  view  of  Cleveland's  size — ^weighing,  as  he  did,  more 
than  four  hundred  pounds — it  is  wonderful  that  he  could  have  led 
a  life  of  such  activity. 

After  the  victory  at  King's  Mountain  more  than  thirty  Tories 
were  condemned  to  death,  and  nine  were  executed — the  others 
being  reprieved.  The  executions  here  alluded  to  were,  for  the 
most  part,  punishments  for  past  crimes — house-burnings,  out- 
rages against  women,  desertions  and  betrayals,  assassinations  of 
non-combatants,  etc.  These  measures  were  also  in  retaliation  for 
past  British  cruelties — a  few  days  before  this  eleven  Americans 
having  been  hanged  at  Ninety-Six  in  South  Carolina,  and  many 
more  having  been  accorded  similar  treatment  at  other  times. 
Cleveland  was  a  member  of  the  court  (or  court  martial) — the 
nature  of  the  tribunal  being  of  a  perplexing  character — ^which 


BENJAMIN  CLEVELAND  73 

tried  and  condemned  these  Tories.    The  Battle  of  King's  Moun- 
tain restored  comparative  order  to  western  North  Carolina,  yet 
there  was  more  fighting  to  be  done,  and  Colonel  Cleveland  as 
usual  bore  more  than  his  share,  serving  under  General  Griffith 
Rutherford. 

After    the    war  Colonel  Cleveland's  plantation,  "The  Round 
About,"  in  North  Carolina  was  lost  to  a  litigant  who  had  a  better 
title  therefor,  and  Cleveland  soon  removed  to  South  Carolina, 
-where  he  became,  first,  an  Indian  fighter,  and  a  judge,  after  peace 
wth  the  Cherokees  had  been  effected.    Before  he  died  Cleveland 
attained  the  enormous  weight  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 
The  death  of  Colonel  Qeveland  occurred  in  what  is  now  Oconee 
County,  South  Carolina,  in  October,  1806.    He  left  two  sons  and 
a  daughter,  and  many  of  his  descendants  are  now  living.     Gov- 
ernor Jesse  Franklin  (elsewhere  noticed  in  this  work)  was  a  son 
of  Qeveland's  sister.    Robert  and  Larkin  Cleveland,  brothers  of 
the  colonel,  and  "Devil  John"  Cleveland,  the  colonel's  son,  were 
all  brave  and  efficient  officers  in  the  Revolution,  as  was  also  Jesse 
Franklin,  above  mentioned. 

By  Chapter  9  of  the  Laws  of  1840-41  a  county  was  formed 
out  of  Lincoln  and  Rutherford  and  named  for  Colonel  Cleveland. 
In  this  act  the  name  was  misspelled  Cleaveland,  but  by  another 
l^slative  enactment — ^passed  many  years  later — ^the  error  was 
remedied. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


RICHARD  CLINTON 


'HE  county-seat  of  Sampson  County  is  called 
Clinton,  as  a  compliment  to  Colonel  Richard 
Clinton,  one  of  the  Revolutionary  patriots  of 
that  vicinity.  The  Clintons  along  with  the 
Kenans  and  others  came  over  from  Ireland 
with  Colonel  Sampson  about  1736,  and  were 
among  the  first  to  settle  in  the  wilderness  on  the  head-waters  of 
the  northeast  branch  of  the  Cape  Fear.  Because  of  this  Irish  set- 
tlement it  was  at  first  proposed  to  call  that  region  the  county  of 
Donegal,  but  when  in  1749  the  upper  part  of  New  Hanover  was 
cut  off  to  form  the  new  county  it  was  named  Duplin,  in  honor  of 
Lord  Duplin,  one  of  the  Board  of  Trade  at  that  time ;  and  Duplin 
County  during  the  Revolution  extended  far  to  the  west,  embrac- 
ing the  territory  of  Sampson  County  and  covering  a  large  and  ex- 
tensive region. 

Whether  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  bom  before  or  subse- 
quent to  this  first  Irish  settlement  is  unknown ;  he  may  have  been 
one  of  the  very  first  white  children  born  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
It  is  said  that  he  was  a  nephew  of  Colonel  Charles  Clinton,  the 
father  of  Governor  George  Clinton  and  of  General  James  Clinton, 
of  New  York ;  and  in  person  and  characteristics  he  was  not  inferior 
to  those  distinguished  gentlemen.  He  was  remarkably  handsome, 
was  always  cool  and  self-possessed,  a  thoughtful  man,  and  one  of 
much  dignity  of  character. 


RICHARD  CLINTON  75 

On  November  29,  1768,  Governor  Try  on  commissioned  him 
one  of  the  justices  for  the  county  of  Duplin;  so  at  that  early  age 
he  had  attained  a  position  of  influence  and  was  a  man  of  conse- 
quence in  his  community ;  and  by  successive  appointments  he  held 
this  position  until  the  Revolution. 

His  military  career  began  in  the  civil  commotions  which  dis- 
turbed North  Carolina  prior  to  the  Revolution,  he  being  a  major 
in  Governor  Tryon's  army,  which  marched  against  the  Regulators 
and  routed  them  at  the  Battle  of  Alamance.  Before  that  time,  be- 
tween 1762  and  1765,  he  married  Penelope  Kenan,  a  sister  of 
Colonel  James  Kenan,  and  he  was  a  man  so  highly  regarded  that 
he  held  the  office  of  register  of  the  county  of  Duplin  under  the 
Crown. 

When  the  troubles  with  the  Mother  Country  came  on  he  was  an 
active  Whig,  and  was  elected  to  represent  Duplin  County  in  the 
Provincial  Congress  which  sat  at  Hillsboro  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember, 1775.  By  that  body  he  was  elected  lieutenant-colonel 
of  Duplin  County,  when  the  militia  of  the  State  was  organized 
for  Revolutionary  purposes  on  September  9,  1775.  The  next 
Provincial  Congress,  April,  1776,  selected  him  as  one  of  the  com- 
missioners to  procure  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  army,  and  he 
was  energetic  and  efficient  in  that  service.  When  the  last  Pro- 
vincial Congress  met  in  December,  1776,  it  adopted  a  State  Con- 
stitution and  established  a  State  Government  and  organized 
Courts  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  under  the  Constitution,  and 
he  was  appointed  by  the  Congress  a  justice  for  Duplin  County. 
In  the  early  stage  of  the  Revolution  the  Provincial  Congress  had 
adopted  a  Test  Oath,  which  all  the  Revolutionists  took,  and  the 
Legislature  at  its  session  of  November,  1777,  prescribed  an  Oath 
of  Allegiance  and  Abjuration.  This  oath  was  taken  by  the  citi- 
zens of  the  different  counties,  and  the  record  is  preserved  wherein 
Colonel  Qinton  took  it  in  Duplin  County.  He  represented  his 
county  in  the  House  of  Commons  continuously  from  1777  to 
1784.  In  that  year  Sampson  County  was  formed  out  of  Duplin, 
and  he  represented  Sampson  County  in  the  Senate  in  1785  and 
until  1795,  with  the  exception  of  one  year.    He  thus  served  his 


76  NORTH  CAROLINA 

people  in  the  Legislature  during  nearly  the  whole  period  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  participated  in  the  adoption  of  those 
measures  which  were  relied  on  to  protect  the  State  from  the  in- 
cursions of  the  enemy. 

After  the  Battle  of  Moore's  Creek  and  the  departure  of  the 
British  fleet  from  the  Cape  Fear  in  the  early  Summer  of  1776, 
quiet  reigned  in  North  Carolina  until  the  opening  of  1781,  al- 
though detachments  were  sent  to  the  aid  of  South  Carolina  when 
that  State  was  invaded.  What  share  Colonel  Qinton  had  in  the 
operations  to  the  southward  is  not  recorded,  nor  has  the  par- 
ticular part  he  played  in  1781  been  perpetuated.  He  was,  how- 
ever, the  right  arm  of  his  brother-in-law.  Colonel  Kenan,  during 
the  troublous  times  that  were  ushered  in  when  Major  Craig  oc- 
cupied Wilmington  on  the  28th  of  January,  1781.  At  that  time 
the  militia  of  Duplin  and  of  other  counties  were  ordered  down  to 
the  great  bridge  twelve  miles  above  Wilmington ;  but  Craig  had 
hastened  to  demolish  the  bridge,  and  had  then  returned  to  the 
town,  which  he  immediately  fortified  to  protect  the  garrison.  When 
Colonel  Kenan,  Colonel  Clinton  and  their  forces  had  reached  the 
bridge  and  found  it  destroyed,  they  fortified  themselves  on  the 
northern  bank  to  hold  that  pass  and  prevent  the  enemy  from  mak- 
mg  excursions  into  the  country.  There  were  about  seven  hun- 
dred militia  collected  there  under  General  Lillington  when  about 
the  first  of  March  Major  Craig  attacked  them  with  artillery  from 
across  the  river,  the  contest  being  maintained  for  two  days,  and 
then  having  accomplished  nothing  the  British  returned  to  their 
fortifications  at  Wilmington.  In  April  Cornwallis  began  his 
march  northward,  and  Lillington  retreated  to  Kinston,  where  on 
the  28th  of  April  he  discharged  all  the  militia,  and  the  men  re- 
turned to  their  homes  to  protect  their  several  communities  from 
the  Tories,  who  became  very  active  in  Duplin  as  well  as  in  every 
part  of  the  country  where  the  British  Army  had  passed.  At  length 
Colonel  Kenan  and  Colonel  Clinton  got  together  in  July  some  four 
hundred  men  and  took  post  near  Rockfish  Creek,  when  Major 
Craig  marched  out  against  them  with  his  main  army  and  field 
pieces  and  dispersed  the  militia,  who  were  badly  armed  and  had 


RICHARD  CLINTON  77 

but  little  ammunition.  Major  Craig  remained  several  days  in  Du- 
plin and  then  marched  on  to  New-Bern.  The  Tories  were  reani- 
mated by  the  presence  of  this  British  force  and  were  more  auda- 
cious than  ever.  Kenan  and  Clinton  collected  some  light-horse  and 
formed  a  little  flying  camp  and  made  frequent  sallies  on  their  ene- 
mies ;  and  when  Craig  heard  that  General  Wayne  was  approaching 
Halifax,  and  hurried  for  protection  to  his  fortifications  at  Wil- 
mington, the  Whigs  of  Duplin  embodied  to  the  number  of  eighty 
light-horsemen,  and  marching  quickly  into  the  neighborhood 
where  the  Tories  were  embodied,  surprised  them,  killed  many,  and 
put  to  instant  death  all  the  prisoners  they  took.  This  bloody  ac- 
tion struck  such  terror  into  the  Tories  of  Duplin  that  they  sub- 
sequently gave  but  little  trouble.  During  that  period  Colonel 
Clinton  and  his  associates  were  as  active  and  as  zealous  as  any  of 
the  famed  partisan  leaders  of  the  Revolution. 

After  peace  was  won  he  continued  to  enjoy  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  his  people,  and  by  his  wise  counsels  in  the  halls  of  the 
Legislature  promoted  their  interests  and  welfare,  and  was  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  patriotic  statesmen  of  that  part  of  the 
State. 

When  Sampson  County  was  established  he  owned  the  land 
that  is  now  the  site  of  the  town  of  Clinton,  and  when  it  was  laid 
off  he  donated  five  acres  for  a  public  square  and  Court  House  and 
also  a  lot  for  a  public  school. 

Colonel  Clinton  died  in  1796,  leaving  two  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters. William,  the  eldest  son,  married  Miss  Seawell,  a  daughter 
of  Judge  Seawell,  and  had  two  sons,  William  and  James.  Rich- 
ard Clinton  married  Ferebee  Hicks  and  moved  to  Georgia.  None 
of  Colonel  Clinton's  descendants  bearing  his  name  now  live  in 
North  Carolina.  His  daughter  Mary  married  Mr.  Roland,  of 
Robeson  County;  his  daughter  Rachel  married  Mr.  Rhodes  and 
left  one  son,  Doctor  Richard  Rhodes.  Elizabeth  married  David 
Bunting,  of  Quaker  descent,  originally  of  Pennsylvania  but  set- 
tling in  Sampson  County,  and  left  eight  children,  one  of  whom, 
Penelope  Bunting,  became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Thomas  K. 
Morisey,  who  was  her  cousin,  being  the  son  of  George  Morisey, 


78 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


of  Cork,  Ireland,  and  of  Jane  Kenan,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Penelope 
Clinton.  The  youngest  child  of  Colonel  Clinton,  Nancy,  married 
Owen  Holmes,  a  brother  of  Governor  Holmes,  and  left  five  sons 
and  three  daughters.  One  of  her  sons,  Owen,  was  a  distinguished 
lawyer,  located  at  Wilmington,  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention,  married  Betsy  Ashe,  a  daughter  of  Colonel 
Samuel  Ashe,  of  Rocky  Point,  and  left  three  children:  Owen, 
who  died  unmarried;  Bettie,  who  married  Doctor  John  Meares, 
of  Wilmington;  and  Sam  Ashe  Holmes,  who  married  Mary 
Strudwick,  of  Alabama.     These  removed  to  California. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


^./e,  /6,^ 


« 


J 


J    1      w 


/  V  C-i  '■ '" 


ORLANDO  R.  COX 

lAR  from  the  madding  crowd's  ignoble  strife," 
there  be  men  who  in  the  even  tenor  of  their 
way  and  in  the  quiet  pursuit  of  their  ideals  are 
doing  the  real  work  that  counts  most  largely 
in  the  inventory  of  the  substantial  assets  of  a 
State.  The  student  who  turns  the  pages  of 
North  Carolina's  history  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  will  look 
in  vain  for  the  names  of  many  men  who  have  wrought  and  built 
for  their  communities,  their  churches  and  themselves.  The  chief- 
est  value  of  this  volume  and  its  highest  mission  are  that  it  brings 
to  light  and  places  on  historic  record  the  names  of  a  large  number 
of  the  unknown  who  have  contributed  most  largely  to  the  rebuild- 
ing and  upbuilding  of  this  commonwealth  ahd  who  are  not  known 
outside  of  their  respective  communities  and  the  limited  commer- 
cial circles  in  which  they  operate  in  the  conduct  of  their  daily 
business.  Men  of  genius,  merit,  and  real  worth,  who  are  absorbed 
in  the  steady  and  serious  prosecution  of  their  life's  work,  shrink 
from  the  empty  honors  and  notoriety  which  come  to  smaller  men. 
The  man  who  has  no  definite  work  before  him  and  is  without  a 
definite  object  in  life  is  to  be  pitied.  He  loses  the  real  joy  of  ex- 
istence. He  never  feels  the  uplifting  enthusiasm  which  comes 
to  a  man  whose  every  faculty  is  at  work  in  the  accomplishment 
of  a  task  or  the  serious  and  earnest  pursuit  of  the  object  of  his 
ambition. 


8o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

There  is  nothing  more  interesting  than  the  study  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  character  of  a  man  whose  plans  are  jointed  or  dove- 
tailed, and  made  to  fit  as  one  by  one  they  mature  and  take  their 
places  in  the  splendid  structure  of  a  superbly  built  and  success- 
ful life.  It  has  been  the  good  or  ill  fortune  of  the  writer  to  touch 
life  at  many  points  in  his  checkered  career  and  to  know  something 
of  the  lives  of  many  men  of  many  minds  and  many  vocations. 
Within  the  range  of  his  observation  there  has  rarely  come  a  life 
so  rounded,  so  smooth,  so  straight,  so  unaffected,  so  serious,  so 
earnest  and  so  successful  as  that  of  Orlando  R.  Cox.  From  the 
humblest  beginning  it  has  grown  and  expanded  each  and  every 
day  until  at  its  meridian  we  find  its  impress  upon  nearly  every 
enterprise  and  institution  of  his  church  and  his  native  county. 
Nor  has  the  sphere  of  his  influence  and  usefulness  been  limited 
by  the  confines  of  his  county.  His  name  is  linked  with  a  chain  of 
financial  and  commercial  institutions  throughout  the  State,  and 
in  their  management  his  fine  business  judgment  is  invoked  in  the 
capacity  of  a  director. 

He  comes  from  one  of  the  oldest,  largest  and  most  substantial 
families  of  the  county  of  Randolph.  Bom  at  Cox's  Mill  on  the 
26th  of  August,  1844,  he  remained  on  the  farm  until  the  year 
1868,  when  he  began  work  as  clerk  or  salesman  in  the  general 
store  of  Hugh  T.  Moffitt  at  Moffitt's  Mills,  North  Carolina.  Here 
he  was  engaged  for  about  one  year,  after  which  he  accepted  a 
position  as  clerk  in  the  company's  store  at  Cedar  Falls,  North 
Carolina.  His  earliest  ancestor  of  whom  there  is  public  record 
was  Abel  Cox,  a  citizen  of  sterling  virtues.  The  name  of  his  own 
father  was  Mica j ah  Cox,  who  was  a  farmer  and  millwright  by 
occupation.  He  was  well  known  and  is  still  well  remembered 
by  the  older  citizens  of  the  county.  He  was  fond  of  hunting  and 
fishing,  and  many  amusing  incidents  of  his  hunting  exploits  still 
live  in  the  traditions  of  his  people.  It  is  told  that  many  a  wild 
buck  fell  a  victim  of  his  deadly  aim  and  many  a  timid  doe  lay 
lifeless  at  his  feet.  He  was  a  leader  in  his  community,  an  en- 
thusiastic Mason,  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  his  county  for  thirty-one 


ORLANDO  R.  COX  8i 

years.  The  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  Matilda  John- 
son Cox.  It  was  from  these  plain,  honest,  industrious  and  God- 
fearing parents  of  simple  life  that  Orlando  R.  Cox  inherited  the 
fine  traits,  the  rugged  virtues  and  the  sterling  qualities  which 
have  marked  his  steadily  successful  career.  It  was  in  the  year 
1869  that  Orlando  R.  Cox,  the  plain  farmer  boy,  with  limited 
education  acquired  from  the  "old  field  schools''  and  two  terms 
with  Professor  Holt,  came  as  a  clerk,  as  before  told,  in  the  com- 
pany store  at  Cedar  Falls  at  a  very  small  salary.  Here  began  the 
real  work  of  his  life,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he,  by  diligence 
and  fidelity,  had  made  himself  an  essential,  individual  factor  in 
the  management  of  the  business  of  the  company  as  well  as  a  val- 
uable and  popular  citizen  of  the  county.  Seven  years  thereafter, 
in  1876,  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of 
the  county.  Before  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  violated  the 
political  epigram:  "Few  die,  none  resign."  He  grew  tired  of 
political  office,  tendered  his  resignation  as  sheriff,  and  accepted 
the  position  of  secretary  and  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Cedar  Falls  Manufacturing  Company — a  position  whose  duties 
were  more  congenial  and  more  in  keeping  with  the  ambition  of 
his  life.  This  company  had  been  organized  and  created  the  year 
before  and  had  become  the  purchaser  and  owner  of  what  was 
known  as  the  Cedar  Falls  property,  including  the  cotton  mill, 
store,  sites,  tenement  houses  and  everything.  Cedar  Falls  Cotton 
Mill  is  the  oldest  in  the  county. 

Cedar  Falls  takes  its  name  from  a  cluster  of  majestic  cedars 
which  grew  around  a  rugged  shoal  in  Deep  River,  on  the  banks 
of  which  the  village  is  built  about  midway  between  Randleman 
and  Ramseur  on  a  branch  of  the  Southern  Railway.  It  was  away 
back  in  1848  that  this  first  cotton  mill  in  the  county  was  built,  and 
for  more  than  half  a  century  the  winds  that  blow  through 
the  venerable  cedars  that  grow  there  have  been  vibrating  with 
the  music  of  its  busy  machinery.  It  has  been  a  training  school 
for  some  of  the  cotton  mill  men  who  are  to-day  among  the  South's 
leaders.  It  was  here  that  the  Elliotts,  the  Makepeaces,  the  Odells 
and  others  learned  the  practical  part  of  the  cotton  mill  business. 


82  NORTH  CAROLINA 

It  was  here  that  Benjamin  Elliott,  the  first  man  who  inspired  the 
building  of  a  cotton  mill  in  Randolph  County,  lived  and  pros- 
pered, and  beneath  those  cedars  sleep  the  remains  of  this  pioneer 
and  benefactor.  It  was  near  here  that  the  late  George  Makepeace 
lived.  Of  him  the  late  Reverend  Doctor  Braxton  Craven  said  in 
his  sermon,  dedicating  the  Naomi  Cotton  Mills : 

"George  Makepeace  was  the  very  genius  of  organization,  and  few  men 
could  govern  men,  women,  and  children  with  less  annoyance  or  greater 
effect  In  spirit  and  life  he  was  a  model  man;  quiet,  considerate,  cool- 
headed  and  warm-hearted,  he  said  and  did  the  right  things  at  the  right 
time  and  always  with  the  happiest  results." 

Mr.  George  Makepeace  was  the  grandfather  of  C.  R.  Make- 
peace, cotton  mill  architect  and  builder,  now  of  Providence,  R.  I. 

Cedar  Falls  and  its  surroundings  are  rich  in  interesting  biog- 
raphy and  industrial  reminiscences.  These  mills  were  here  before 
Greensboro,  Charlotte,  Wilmington,  Rockingham,  Fayetteville 
or  Raleigh  had  a  railroad.  Its  founders  were  Henry  B.  Elliott 
and  Philip  Horney.  Of  these  two  men  Doctor  Craven  further 
said  in  the  sermon  referred  to: 

"There  was  Philip  Horney,  a  man  whose  heart  was  young  when  his 
body  was  old.  He  made  money  and  spent  it,  or  a  part  of  it,  as  a  true  man 
should;  he  was  an  ardent  friend  and  supporter  of  the  church;  his  table 
was  always  spread  for  the  hungry;  his  sympathy  reached  towards  all  who 
needed  it,  and  everybody  called  him  friend.  There  was  Henry  B.  Elliott, 
one  of  the  noblest  of  Randolph's  noble  citizens.  He  had  something  of  the 
bearing  of  an  English  nobleman,  but  withal  the  courtesy  and  self-sacrific- 
ing generosity  of  a  warm-hearted  and  true  man.  He  was  gifted  in  in- 
tellect and  finely  cultivated  in  extensive  learning  and  enthusiastic  in  every- 
thing that  seemed  to  promote  good  for  the  country." 

There  was  inspiration  in  such  associations  for  a  young  man  of 
Mr.  Cox's  determination  and  ambition.  He  reckons  these  names 
and  associations  among  the  strongest  influences  which  stimulated 
him  in  the  great  task  he  had  set  for  himself. 

Following  and  succeeding  these  men  was  Doctor  John  Milton 
Worth,  whose  wise  counsel  and  far-sightedness  as  president  of 
this  company  constituted  the  strongest  support  Mr.  Cox  had  for 
many  years.    Under  the  vigorous  and  successful  management  of 


ORLANDO  R.  COX  83 

Mr.  Cox,  aided  by  President  Worth,  the  Cedar  Falls  Mills  have 
more  than  trebled  in  the  number  of  spindles  and  capacity,  and 
he  has  been  enabled  to  build  a  new  mill  with  two  hundred  looms 
at  the  same  places.  He  is  a  practical  mill  man,  with  all  the  word 
implies.  His  knowledge  was  acquired  around  the  spindles  and  in 
personal  work  and  attention  to  every  detail  of  the  complex  opera- 
tion of  a  cotton  mill.  Some  conception  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
task  may  be  formed  when  it  is  remembered  that  at  the  time  he  as- 
sumed control  of  this  magnificent  property,  in  the  early  days  of 
1878,  the  value  of  its  assets  did  not  exceed  the  amount  of  its  in- 
debtedness. Without  name  or  credit  or  backing,  save  that  which 
grim  grit  and  tireless  pluck  gave,  he  assumed  a  burden  from 
which  others  had  shrunk,  and  steadily  for  years  toiled  at  his  desk 
and  in  the  mill  through  the  long  hours  of  day  and  the  heavy  hours 
of  night  until  he  had  lifted  every  dollar  of  encumbrance  and 
made  the  stock  of  this  company  the  most  desirable  and  valuable 
in  the  markets  of  the  State.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  can  be  found 
in  the  State  a  man  who  has  given  his  time  more  constantly,  un- 
selfishly, and  unreservedly  to  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  his 
company.  In  the  meantime,  by  close  economy  and  the  most  frugal 
habits  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  from  time  to  time  stock  until 
he  became  the  largest  stockholder  of  the  company,  and  is  to-day 
the  piactical  owner  of  the  two  mills. 

In  more  recent  years  he  has  been  induced  to  invest  some  of  the 
fruits  of  his  toil  in  other  plants  and  institutions.  He  succeeded 
Doctor  J.  M.  Worth  as  president  of  the  Bank  of  Randolph,  the 
largest  and  strongest  bank  of  the  county,  in  which  he  has  been  a 
stockholder  and  director  from  its  incorporation.  He  also  suc- 
ceeded Doctor  Worth  as  president  of  the  Asheboro  Furniture 
Company,  in  which  he  had  been  a  stockholder  and  director  since  its 
incorporation.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Asheboro  Chair  Factory, 
the  Concord  Wholesale  Grocery  Company  of  Concord,  North 
Carolina.  J.  W.  Scott  and  Company  of  Greensboro,  North  Caro- 
lina, the  Wachovia  Loan  and  Trust  Company  of  Winston-Salem, 
North  Carolina,  and  the  Greensboro  National  Bank.  He  is  also 
a  charter  shareholder  and  director  of  the  Greensboro  Loan  and 


84  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Trust  Company,  the  strongest  financial  institution  in  the  Gate 
City,  as  well  as  in  the  North  State  Fire  Insurance  Company  and 
Greensboro  Life  Insurance  Company  of  the  same  city.  There 
are  other  corporations  in  which  he  is  interested  and  holds  stock. 
This  list,  however,  will  suffice  to  show  the  value  of  his  career  to 
his  community,  his  county  and  his  State.  It  tells  its  own  story. 
It  is  his  own  work.    He  is  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune. 

Twice  married,  he  was  blessed  by  his  first  marriage  with  six 
children,  three  of  whom  are  dead  and  three  living.  The  issue  of 
his  last  marriage  are  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Nor 
is  this  all.  There  is  another  field  in  which  we  may  note  the 
harvest  from  the  good  seed  he  has  sown.  He  is  and  has  been 
from  earliest  young  manhood  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Prot- 
estant Church,  and  for  years  has  been  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
influential  laymen  of  that  church  in  North  Carolina.  Time  and 
again  he  has  been  selected  as  delegate  to  the  annual  and  quad- 
rennial convocations  and  for  the  highest  positions  of  trust  and 
honor  in  that  church.  At  his  home  he  is  a  faithful  communicant 
and  liberal  supporter  of  his  church  and  all  of  its  enterprises.  In 
the  Sunday-School  and  elsewhere  he  is  as  prompt,  as  active,  as 
enthusiastic  and  as  earnest  as  he  is  in  the  prosecution  of  his  busi- 
ness affairs.  It  is  to  be  recorded,  too,  that  while,  as  a  rule,  he  has 
resisted  the  flattering  inducements  to  enter  politics  he  has,  from  a 
sense  of  public  duty,  served  his  county  four  years  as  a  County 
Commissioner  and  ten  or  twelve  years  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

He  is  the  upright  man  and  the  model  citizen.  He  meets  and 
measures  up  to  every  exaction  of  Church  and  State.  He  has 
wrought  well  in  his  day  and  generation.  His  record  is  a  proud 
heritage  for  his  children.  His  is  a  life  whose  lesson  is  worth  pre- 
serving. It  may  not  be  written  in  bronze  or  brass  or  stone,  but  it 
will  live  in  the  ever-widening  circles  of  the  lives  it  has  touched. 
When  the  old  county  of  Randolph  comes  to  make  up  the  roll  of 
her  native  sons  who,  in  the  last  three  decades,  have  done  the  most 
for  her  material  growth,  her  credit  and  her  good  name,  there  will 
be  on  that  roll  no  name  ahead  of  that  of  Orlando  R.  Cox. 

G,  S.  Bradshaw, 


WILLIAM  DICKSON 


'R.  JAMES  O.  CARR,  a  distinguished  member 
of  the  Wilmington  bar,  has  rendered  the  State 
notable  service  by  the  publication  of  "the  Dick- 
son Letters,"  which  form  an  interesting  and 
valuable  addition  to  our  literature,  covering  the 
dark  period  of  1781  in  the  Cape  Fear  section 
and  the  period  when  the  Federal  Constitution  was  adopted.  In 
this  sketch  the  writer  will  follow  the  Introduction  made  by  Mr. 
Carr  to  the  Dickson  Letters,  whose  preparation  shows  painstaking 
research. 

The  Dickson  family  in  Duplin  County  trace  their  descent  to 
Simon  Dickson,  who  was  a  stern  English  Puritan  and  an  ardent 
adherent  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  received  as  his  reward  for  his 
services  a  grant  of  400  acres  of  land  in  County  Down,  Ireland. 
There  he  settled  and  had  a  numerous  offspring.  John  Dickson, 
fifth  in  descent  from  Simon,  was  bom  in  Ireland  in  1704,  and 
died  in  Duplin  County,  North  Carolina,  on  the  25th  of  December, 
1774.  When  thirty- four  years  of  age  he  emigrated  from  Ireland 
and  located  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  resided  a 
few  years  and  where  three  of  his  sons  were  bom.  He  then  moved 
to  Maryland,  but  after  a  short  while  located  in  Duplin  County 
some  time  previous  to  1745.  He  had  eight  sons  and  one  daughter. 
The  eldest  son,  Michael,  moved  to  Georgia;  William,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  third;  Robert,  another  son,  towards  the 


86  NORTH  CAROLINA 

close  of  the  Revolution  moved  to  Virginia,  but  returned  to  Duplin 
in  1784.  He  served  in  the  House  of  Commons  in  1777  and  con- 
tinuously from  1784  to  1788.  Joseph  also  left  the  county  about  the 
close  of  the  Revolution,  but  returning  served  as  Register  of  Deeds 
and  County  Surveyor  and  was  in  the  House  of  Commons  in  1780 
and  1797.  Alexander  likewise  emigrated  to  Virginia  in  1781,  but 
returned  in  1784.  He  was  a  public-spirited  and  patriotic  man  and 
highly  esteemed  in  his  county.  He  left  no  children,  and  in  his 
will  devised  the  bulk  of  his  property  "to  the  use  of  a  free  school 
or  schools  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  of  Duplin  County."  In  1817, 
when  his  estate  was  settled,  this  fund  amounted  to  $12,621.  It  has 
always  been  known  as  the  "Dickson  Charity  Fund,"  and  until 
after  the  Civil  War  the  income  was  applied  to  educational  pur- 
poses, and  since  the  war  to  the  Public  School  Fund.  Edward 
Dickson,  another  son,  was  one  of  the  most  respected  and  pros- 
perous citizens  of  Duplin  County.  His  granddaughter,  Ann  Wil- 
liams, married  Doctor  Stephen  Graham,  and  their  daughter,  Sarah 
Rebecca  Graham,  married  Honorable  Owen  R.  Kenan,  and  be- 
came the  mother  of  Colonel  Thomas  S.  Kenan,  of  Raleigh,  North 
Carolina;  James  G.  Kenan,  of  Kenansville,  and  the  late  William 
R.  Kenan,  of  Wilmington. 

William  Dickson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  bom  in  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  loth  of  January,  1739,  ^^^  ^^s 
brought  by  his  father  to  Duplin  County  during  infancy.  His  ed- 
ucational advantages  were  limited,  as  he  was  reared  among  the 
early  settlers  in  the  wilderness  before  the  establishment  of  schools. 
Still  he  appears  to  have  been  well  taught  at  home ;  wrote  with  un- 
common ease,  and  was  a  man  of  comprehensive  ideas,  good  judg- 
ment, and  great  wisdom.  He  discussed  political  questions  with  in- 
telligence, and  forecast  the  future  with  intuition  and  remarkable 
foresight. 

He  had  just  reached  manhood  when  the  exciting  period  of  the 
Stamp  Act  troubles  fostered  unrest  and  mental  activity  among 
the  colonists;  and  this  was  followed  by  the  trying  times  of  the 
Revolution,  during  which  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  trusted 
leaders  of  his  community. 


WILLIAM  DICKSON  87 

He  was  a  delegate  from  Duplin  County  to  the  first  Provincial 
Congress  held  at  New-Bern  on  the  25th  of  August,  1774;  and 
he  was  a  member  of  each  successive  Congress,  and  participated 
in  the  deliberations  of  the  body  that  framed  the  Constitution  of 
the  State.  On  the  establishment  of  county  courts  in  1777  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  that  court  for  Duplin  County,  and  it  is  said  that 
he  held  that  position  for  forty- four  years.  While  he  did  not  serve 
in  the  Continental  Army,  he  was  active  in  the  militia,  especially 
in  the  year  1781  after  Major  Craig  took  possession  of  Wilming- 
ton and  the  Tories  rose  in  the  Cape  Fear  country.  He  was  with 
Lillingtqn  and  Kenan  when  they  held  the  Great  Bridge  from 
February  until  April,  retiring  in  front  of  Cornwallis.  In  his  letter 
of  1784  Mr.  Dickson  gives  a  graphic  account  of  the  devastation 
of  Duplin  County  during  that  April  and  June.  "At  length,"  he 
said,  "we  got  collected  about  four  hundred  men  under  Colonel 
Kenan  in  Duplin  and  made  a  stand."  About  the  20th  of  July 
Colonel  Kenan  was  joined  by  a  part  of  Brigadier-General  Caswell's 
Brigade,  making  his  total  force  the  number  above  stated.  Breast- 
works were  thrown  up  about  one  mile  east  of  the  present  village 
of  Wallace,  where  the  county  road  crosses  Rockfish  Creek,  and 
on  August  2d  Colonel  Craig's  force  of  Regulars,  about  five  hun- 
dred strong,  moved  up  and  attacked  them.  Colonel  Kenan  had 
but  a  few  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  when  this  was  exhausted 
his  militia  gave  way,  and  in  the  stampede  some  thirty  or  forty 
men  were  captured,  besides  the  loss  in  killed  and  wounded.  After 
this  encounter  the  Whig  forces  were  dispersed  and  the  enemy 
stayed  several  days  in  Duplin,  the  Tories  gathering  very  fast  and 
taking  possession  of  the  county.  Major  Craig,  having  marched  to 
New-Bern,  returned  towards  Kinston,  proposing  to  move  north- 
ward, but  heard  that  General  Anthony  Wayne  was  approaching 
Halifax,  which  deterred  him  from  further  operations,  and  he 
sought  safety  in  his  fortifications  at  Wilmington.  This  retreat 
gave  renewed  courage  to  the  Whigs,  who  now  embodied,  William 
Dickson  being  among  them.  They  organized  about  eighty  light- 
horsemen,  marched  into  the  neighborhood  where  the  Tories  were, 
surprised  them,  cut  many  to  pieces,  took  several  and  put  them  to 


88  NORTH  CAROLINA 

death.  During  all  those  troublous  times,  though  Mr.  Dickson  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  he  received  but  one  wound,  which  was  a 
shot  through  his  right  leg.  About  the  middle  of  October  General 
Rutherford  and  General  Butler,  with  1500  militia  from  the  back 
country,  came  down  the  Cape  Fear  and  suppressed  the  Tories. 
As  Rutherford  drew  near  to  Wilmington  intelligence  was  re- 
ceived of  the  surrender  of  Comwallis,  and  Major  Craig  hastily 
sailed  away  for  Charleston,  and  the  troubles  of  the  Revolution 
were  over. 

William  Dickson  was  a  patriotic  and  progressive  citizen.  His 
interest  in  the  establishment  of  the  Grove  Academy  at  Kenans- 
ville  indicates  the  importance  he  attached  to  education.  He  men- 
tions that  about  Christmas,  1785,  "we  made  up  a  small  school  of 
fourteen  or  fifteen  boys,  which  is  the  first  attempt  that  has  ever 
been  made  to  teach  the  languages  in  this  part  of  the  country." 
In  1787  he  states  that  "at  our  Grove  Academy  there  are  yet  but 
twenty-five  students  under  a  master,  who  teaches  only  the  Latin 
and  English  Grammar  and  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages." 

In  that  same  letter  he  refers  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  then  submitted  to  the  Legislature  of  each  State  for  con- 
currence, and  says : 

"Our  General  Assembly  for  this  State  are  now  convened  and  have  it 
under  consideration.  We  hear  that  debate  runs  high  concerning  it,  aljso  the 
populace  and  the  country  are  divided  in  their  opinion  concerning  it.  For 
my  own  part  I .  am  but  a  shallow  politician,  but  there  are  some  parts 
of  it  I  do  not  like.  However,  I  expect  our  Legislature  will  adopt  it  in 
full." 

In  a  subsequent  letter  he  says  of  the  Federal  Constitution : 

"I  think  that  it  is  formed  so  as  to  lay  the  foundation  of  one  of  the  great- 
est empires  now  in  the  world,  and  from  the  high  opinion  I  have  of  the 
illustrious  characters  who  now  hold  the  reins  of  government,  I  have  no 
fear  of  any  revolution  taking  place  in  my  day.  Since  I  wrote  to  you  on 
the  subject  I  have  become  reconciled  to  it." 

He  adds : 

"It  was  a  matter  of  necessity  rather  than  choice  when  the  Convention  of 
North  Carolina  received  it  about  twelve  months  ago,  we  being  the  last 


WILLIAM  DICKSON  89 

State  except  one  (Rhode  Island)  which  came  into  the  measure.  Virginia, 
though  with  much  reluctance,  and  the  other  States  around  us,  having  pre- 
viously adopted  the  Federal  plan,  the  State  of  North  Carolina  could 
not  remain  independent  of  the  Union  and  support  the  dignity  of  the  State 
itself.  Had  Virginia  only  stood  out  with  us,  I  think  North  Carolina  would 
not  have  been  in  the  Union  yet.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  Southern 
States  will  not  receive  equal  benefit  in  the  Government  with  the  Northern 
States.  .  .  .  The  Southern  States  will  have  their  vote,  but  will  not 
be  able  to  carry  any  point  against  so  powerful  a  party  in  cases  where  either 
general  or  local  interest  are  the  object.  Some  attempts  which  were  made 
in  the  course  of  the  last  session  of  Congress  have  much  alarmed  the  South- 
em  people.  The  most  strenuous  exertions  were  made  by  some  of  the 
Northern  representatives  to  liberate  and  emancipate  the  slaves  in  the 
United  States,  and  though  they  did  not  carry  their  point,  they  seemed  de- 
termined never  to  drop  the  matter  until  they  do.  This,  if  effected,  will 
be  arbitrary,  cruel  and  unjust." 

These  extracts  of  letters  made  contemporaneously  with  the 
events  they  refer  to  are  not  only  interesting  of  themselves,  but  in- 
dicate that  William  Dickson  was  a  man  of  profound  thought  and 
a  good  writer.  That  he  exercised  a  great  influence  in  his  com- 
munity cannot  be  doubted. 

He  died  January  20,  1820,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  He 
married  in  1767  Mary  Williams,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Williams 
of  Onslow  County,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Benjamin  Williams, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  descended  from  Frances,  a  daughter  of 
Oliver  Cromwell,  and  settled  near  Halifax,  North  Carolina,  prior 
to  1750. 

William  and  Mary  Dickson  had  nine  children.  One  of  their 
descendants  became  the  wife  of  Leroy  Polk  Walker,  Secretary 
of  War  in  President  Davis's  Cabinet,  and  later  a  brigadier-general 
in  the  Confederate  Army ;  another  descendant  was  Albert  Pickett, 
author  of  a  "History  of  Alabama."  A  son  of  William  Dickson, 
Doctor  William  Dickson,  of  Tennessee,  was  a  member  of  Cong- 
ress for  three  terms,  and  the  county  of  Dickson  in  Tennessee  was 
named  for  him. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


DAVID   FANNING 

AVID  FANNING,  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary men  evolved  by  the  Revolutionary  War, 
was  bom  about  the  year  1756.  His  parentage 
and  his  birthplace  are  obscure.  In  his  "Sched- 
ule of  Property  lost  to  him  on  account  of  his 
attachment  to  the  British  Government,  filed  and 
sworn  to  at  St.  Augustine  in  November,  1783,"  he  mentions  "550 
acres  of  land  in  Amelia  County  in  the  Province  of  Virginia,  with 
dwelling-house,  etc.,  orchards  and  large  enclosed  improvements 
valued  at  687  pounds ;  and  550  acres  of  land  near  said  plantation, 
heir  to  the  estate  of  my  father,  and  some  improvements  with  a 
dwelling-house,  412  pounds;  three  saddle-horses,  twelve  planta- 
tion horses,"  etc.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  Colonel 
Fanning  was  a  native  of  Amelia  County,  Virginia.  Governor 
Swain,  however,  in  tracing  his  career  stated  that  he  was  born  in 
that  part  of  Johnston  County  which  has  since  been  embraced  in 
Wake,  and  that  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  Mr.  Bryan,  from  whom 
he  ran  away  when  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  finding  a  temporary 
home  at  the  house  of  John  O'Deniell,  of  Hawfields  in  Orange 
County.  He  was  untaught  and  unlettered,  and  he  had  the  scald 
head,  that  became  so  oflFensive  that  he  did  not  eat  at  the  table  with 
the  family;  and  in  subsequent  life  he  wore  a  silk  cap  so  that  his 
most  intimate  friends  never  saw  his  head  naked.  In  the  course 
of  two  or  three  vears  he  left  North  Carolina  and  settled  on  Rae- 


DAVID  FANNING  91 

burn's  Creek,  a  branch  of  Reedy  River  in  Laurens  District,  South 
Carolina,  and  engaged  in  trafficking  with  the  Indians.  That  part 
of  the  country  was  inhabited  by  the  Scovellites,  who  had  been  sup- 
pressed about  the  time  of  the  Regulation  movement  in  North 
Carolina,  and  like  the  Regulators  they  sided  with  the  King  rather 
than  with  the  Whigs. 

David  Fanning  left  a  journal  from  which  the  events  of  his 
career  are  collated. 

In  April,  1775,  Colonel  Fletcher,  the  colonel  of  Laurens  County, 
who  was  a  Royalist,  directed  the  captains  to  muster  their  com- 
panies and  present  two  papers  to  be  signed,  to  see  who  were 
friends  to  the  King  and  who  would  join  the  Whigs.  Fanning, 
then  in  his  nineteenth  year,  was  sergeant  of  his  company,  and  at 
the  muster  on  the  isth  of  May  he  presented  the  papers,  and  118 
men  signed  in  favor  of  the  King.  There  were  sharp  collisions  be- 
tween the  Loyalists  and  their  Whig  neighbors  during  that  year; 
and  that  Autumn,  when  it  was  learned  that  a  large  quantity  of 
ammunition  was  being  sent  to  the  Cherokee  Nation  by  the  new 
Whig  Government,  as  was  customary.  Fanning  and  his  friends 
intercepted  the  pack-horses  and  secured  the  powder.  Because 
of  this,  the  "Snow  Campaign"  of  December,  1775,  was  under- 
taken by  Colonel  Martin,  Colonel  Rutherford,  and  others,  with 
North  Carolina  forces,  and  the  Loyalists  dispersed  and  the  am- 
munition recovered.  In  July,  1776,  the  Indians  made  their  foray 
on  the  western  frontier  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  plan  devised  by  Governor  Martin  for  the  subjuga- 
tion of  North  Carolina,  beginning  their  massacre  on  the  very  day 
of  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Moultrie.  Fanning  hastened  to  join 
the  Indians,  carrying  twenty-five  of  his  neighbors  with  him,  and 
they  attacked  a  fort  in  South  Carolina  containing  450  Whigs,  but 
the  assailants  were  driven  off,  and  Fanning  came  to  North  Caro- 
lina. After  experiencing  numberless  hardships,  however,  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  March,  1777.  From  the  beginning,  in  May, 
1775,  he  had  been  constantly  active  as  a  zealous  Loyalist,  always 
on  the  warpath,  and  undergoing  many  vicissitudes;  and  this 
course  he  continued  to  pursue,  being  entirely  irrepressible. 


92  NORTH  CAROLINA 

In  March,  1778,  he  was  chosen  commanding  officer  of  the 
Loyalists  of  his  region,  and  there  were  daily  conflicts  between 
his  followers  and  the  Whigs,  until  at  last  the  Loyalists  were  dis- 
persed, and  for  three  months  he  was  obliged  to  remain  in  the 
woods,  living  only  on  what  was  killed  in  the  wilderness. 

Eventually  there  were  embodied  some  500  Loyalists  determined 
to  go  to  St.  Augustine,  but  the  Whigs  having  intercepted  them 
and  dispersed  them.  Fanning  undertook  to  make  his  way  to  Hol- 
stein  River,  but  later  returned  to  Raebum's  Creek;  and  after  a 
great  many  thrilling  experiences  he  agreed  to  live  peacefully  at 
home  under  a  conditional  pardon.  For  a  year  he  observed  the 
terms  of  his  surrender,  but  on  the  reduction  of  Charleston  in  May, 
1780,  he  and  one  William  Cunningham,  known  as  "Bloody,"  con- 
cluded to  embody  a  party  of  men,  and  they  were  rapidly  joined 
by  many  Loyalists.  They  captured  the  fort  at  Ninety-Six  and  the 
fort  at  White  Hall,  together  with  300  men.  Fanning  now  with 
a  small  party  scouted  on  the  frontiers,  and  he  fell  in  with  Colonel 
Ferguson's  detachment  five  days  before  the  destruction  of  that 
force  at  King's  Mountain,  but  did  not  join  it.  After  that  battle, 
the  Whigs  in  upper  South  Carolina  took  heart,  and  Fanning's 
situation  becoming  alarming,  he  left  that  State  and  came  to  Deep 
River,  where  he  remained  quiet,  but  all  the  while  discovering  who 
were  friends  to  the  King. 

In  July,  1780,  when  South  Carolina  was  entirely  submissive 
to  the  British  and  the  North  Carolina  Loyalists  were  bold  and 
exulting.  Major  Ferguson  arranged  for  their  organization  and 
commissioned  seven  captains  with  their  subordinates  for  com- 
panies in  Randolph ;  six  captains  for  Chatham ;  four  for  Cumber- 
land ;  three  for  Anson  and  two  for  Orange ;  and  so  the  organiza- 
tion and  nucleus  of  a  loyal  militia  force  in  that  part  of  North  Caro- 
lina was  substantial.  These  officers,  however,  remained  inactive 
until  Craig  took  possession  of  Wilmington  and  Cornwallis  reached 
Hillsboro  and  issued  his  proclamation  for  the  Loyalists  to  embody. 
Captain  John  Rains,  of  Randolph  County,  was  the  first  to  begin 
to  embody  his  company.  Doctor  John  Pyle,  who  was  a  physician 
and  an  estimable  man,  one  of  the  Regulators,  feeling  conscien- 


DAVID  FANNING  93 

tiously  bound  by  his  oath,  also  responded  and  was  assigned  the 
command  of  some  300  men,  the  first  Loyalists  to  collect.  On 
their  way  to  join  Comwallis  at  Hillsboro  they  fell  in  with  Colonel 
Lee  and  his  troops,  on  the  25th  of  February,  1781,  near  the  site 
of  the  town  of  Burlington,  and  were  cut  to  pieces.  At  that  time, 
however.  Fanning  was  still  on  Deep  River,  with  a  smaller  party, 
arousing  the  Loyalists  to  action. 

He  joined  Cornwallis  at  Dixon's  Mills  on  Cane  Creek,  but 
after  accompanying  him  as  far  as  Cross  Creek,  he  separated  from 
the  army  and  began  the  career  of  murder  and  rapine  that  has 
made  his  name  infamous.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that  he  was 
one  of  the  boldest  men,  most  fertile  in  expedients  and  quick  in 
execution,  that  ever  lived  in  North  Carolina.  Had  he  been  on 
the  Whig  side,  his  fame  would  have  been  more  enduring  than 
that  of  any  other  partisan  officer  whose  memory  is  now  so  dear 
to  all  patriots.  Foraging  on  the  country,  seizing  what  he  wanted, 
slaying,  slaughtering,  burning  homes  and  butchering  in  cold  blood 
according  to  his  mood,  he  became  a  terror  and  a  scourge. 

His  headquarters  were  at  Coxe's  Mill  on  Deep  River,  and  from 
there  he  sallied  forth  in  every  direction,  intercepting  all  parties 
passing  to  and  from  General  Greene's  camp  in  South  Carolina, 
and  terrorizing  all  that  region.  Early  in  June  Colonels  Collier 
and  Balfour  led  a  detachment  to  dislodge  him,  but  Fanning  by  a 
forced  march  was  enabled  to  make  a  night  attack  upon  them  and 
drove  them  off.  For  a  time  then  Colonel  Christopher  Dudley  oc- 
cupied Coxe's  Mills  with  a  force  of  300  Virginians,  but  could  not 
suppress  this  indefatigable  partisan.  Emboldened  by  the  protec- 
tion and  by  the  presence  of  the  British  Army,  the  Tories  of  Cum- 
berland, Bladen  and  Duplin  had  likewise  become  very  active  and 
the  Whigs  had  been  driven  from  their  homes,  while  many  who 
were  not  resolute  partisans  had  submitted  to  the  dominion  of  the 
Loyalists.  In  Chatham,  Randolph,  Anson  and  Cumberland,  Fan- 
ning and  his  coadjutors  were  in  absolute  control;  and  all  that 
region  was  dominated  by  the  Royal  adherents. 

About  the  first  of  July  there  was  a  muster  of  the  Loyal  militia 
at  Fanning's  camp,  and  he  was  chosen  colonel,  and  thereupon 


94  NORTH  CAROLINA 

set  out  for  Wilmington  to  obtain  a  commission :  and  on  the  5th  of 
that  month  Major  Craig  commissioned  him  colonel  of  the  Loyal 
militia  in  Randolph  and  Chatham  Counties.  On  his  return  he  at 
once  collected  about  150  men  and  began  active  operations.  A  few 
days  later,  about  the  middle  of  July,  there  being  a  general  muster 
and  a  court-martial  at  Pittsboro,  Fanning  made  a  descent  upon 
that  place  and  took  fifty-three  prisoners,  including  all  the  militia 
officers  of  the  county  except  two,  a  Continental  captain  and  three 
members  of  the  Assembly.  He  paroUed  some  and  carried  others 
to  Wilmington.  It  was  a  great  advantage  to  these  Tory  bands 
that  they  could  obtairt  all  the  ammunition  that  they  needed  from 
the  British  Army,  while  the  Whigs  were  entirely  without  am- 
munition and  were  very  badly  armed. 

Fanning's  next  exploit  was  to  attack  Colonel  Alston's  party 
at  his  house ;  and  on  the  i  ith  of  August  he  again  passed  on  down 
to  Wilmington  to  obtain  supplies  and  ammunition.  Returning 
towards  the  end  of  August,  he  found  Colonel  Slingsby  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  and  the  night  that  he  separated  from  Colonel  Slingsby 
occurred  the  Battle  of  Elizabethtown,  in  which  Slingsby  was 
killed  and  the  Loyalists  were  routed  by  Colonel  Brown.  A  day  or 
two  later  he  joined  Colonel  McNeil  on  Drowning  Creek,  who  was 
threatened  with  attack  by  Colonel  Wade.  Fanning,  however,  be- 
came the  assailant,  and  won  a  victory.  On  the  9th  of  September, 
being  joined  at  Coxe's  Mills  by  Colonel  McDougal  with  200  men 
from  Cumberland,  and  Colonel  Hector  McNeil  with  his  party 
from  Bladen,  and  having  himself  some  950  men,  he  proposed  to 
put  in  execution  a  plan  he  had  long  had  in  mind  of  capturing  the 
Governor  of  the  State.  General  Butler  and  Colonel  Robert  Me- 
'bane  lay  within  forty  miles  of  Coxe's  Mills,  and  Fanning  let  it  be 
understood  that  he  proposed  to  attack  them.  He  marched  to 
Rocky  River,  and  then,  changing  direction,  pressed  on  to  Hills- 
boro  without  stopping.  At  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
I2th  he  entered  the  town  in  three  divisions,  killed  fifteen,  wounded 
twenty,  and  took  upwards  of  200  prisoners,  including  the  Gov- 
ernor, Burke,  his  Council,  and  many  officers  of  the  Continental 
Line  and  seventy-one  Continental  soldiers.    At  noon  that  day  they 


DAVID  FANNING  95 

left  Hillsboro  and  early  the  next  morning  reached  Lindsay's  Mill 
on  Cane  Creek,  where  General  Butler  intercepted  them.    At  the 
first  outset  eight  of  the  Tories  fell,  including  Colonel  McNeil ;  but 
after  a  four  hours'  conflict  Butler's  troops  were  driven  off.    Fan- 
ning, however,  lost  heavily:  twenty-seven  killed,  sixty  so  badly 
wounded  that  they  could  not  be  moved,  and  thirty  others  slightly 
wounded.    Fanning  himself  received  a  shot  in  his  left  arm,  break- 
ing the  bone  in  several  places ;  and  his  loss  of  blood  was  so  great 
that  he  had  to  be  secreted  in  the  woods  on  Brush  Creek.     His 
army,  however,  proceeded    under    Colonel  McDougal  and    the 
prisoners  were  safely  delivered  to  Major  Craig  at  Wilmington. 
In  this  Battle  of  Cane  Creek  Butler  lost  twenty-four  men,  killed, 
and  left  ninety  woimded  on  the  ground,  and  the  Loyalists  took 
ten  prisoners.     Of  the  killed  were  Colonel  Luttrell  and  Major 
Knowles.    It  is  of  interest  to  record  that  Colonel  Pyle,  who  was 
a  hiunane  man  and  a  physician,  attended  these  wounded  Whigs 
so  carefully  that  he  was  pardoned  by  the  Whig  Government,  and 
became  a  quiet,  peaceful  citizen  during  the  remainder  of  the  war. 
A  month  elapsed  before  Colonel  Fanning  was   able  to   move 
about.    Then  having  received  a  fresh  supply  of  ammunition,  and 
embodying  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  he    sallied    forth 
again.    But  the  Whig  forces  pressed  him  so  closely  that,  learning 
of  Cornwallis's  surrender  and  of  Craig's  evacuation  of  Wilming- 
ton, he  divided  his  followers  into  small  squads,  continuing,  how- 
ever, to  scour  the  country.     On  the  loth  of  December  Colonel 
Isaacs  led  a  party  from  the  west  and  took  possession  of  Coxe's 
Mills,  and  after  this  Fanning  was  in  the  woods  and  kept  moving 
with  a  small  party  as  occasion  required.    Daily  he  performed  some 
extraordinary  feat,  until  at  length  in  January  he  proposed  terms 
for  an  armistice.    Pending  these  negotiations,  he  was  more  quiet, 
but  when  they  fell  through,  receiving  a  message  from  Colonel 
Balfour  that  "there  was  no  resting-place  for  a  Tory's  foot  upon 
the  earth,"  on  the  12th  of  March  he  set  out  for  Balfour's  planta- 
tion.   **When  we  came  upon  him,"  says  Fanning  in  his  Narrative, 
"he  endeavored  to  make  his  escape ;  but  we  soon  prevented  him, 
fired  at  him  and  wounded  him.     The  first  ball  he  received  was 


96  NORTH  CAROLINA 

through  one  of  his  arms  and  ranged  through  his  body ;  the  other 
through  his  neck,  which  put  an  end  to  his  committing  any  more 
ill  deeds/*  Miss  Balfour's  account  of  this  murder  is  given  else- 
where in  this  work. 

Hard  and  bitter  indeed  was  the  conflict  during  those  bloody 
months  between  the  Tory  and  Whig  elements  throughout  the  en- 
tire Cape  Fear  section  from  Guilford  County  to  the  sea.  All  that 
region  was  a  scene  of  turmoil,  rapine  and  fierce  warfare,  but  the 
fires  of  patriotism  were  not  extinguished,  and  the  trials,  suffer- 
ings, sacrifices  and  endurance  of  the  Whig,  people  were  heroic. 
A  momentary  view  of  what  they  suffered  is  given  in  the  Nar- 
rative of  Fanning,  after  he  had  murdered  Balfour: 

"We  then  proceeded  to  their  Colonel's  (Collier),  belonging  to  said 
county  of  Randolph.  On  our  way  we  burnt  several  rebel  houses  and 
caught  several  prisoners.  The  night  coming  on,  and  the  distance  to  said 
Collier's  was  so  far  that  it  was  late  before  we  got  there.  He  made  his  es- 
cape, having  received  three  balls  through  his  shirt.  But  I  took  care  to 
destroy  the  whole  of  his  plantation.  I  then  pursued  our  route  and  came 
to  one  Captain  John  Bryan's,  another  rebel  officer.  I  told  him  that  if 
he  would  come  out  of  the  house  I  would  give  him  parole,  which  he  re- 
fused. With  that  I  immediately  ordered  the  house  to  be  set  on  fire,  which 
was  instantly  done.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  flames  of  the  fire  increasing, 
he  called  out  to  me  and  desired  me  to  spare  his  house,  for  his  wife  and 
children's  sake,  and  he  would  walk  out  with  his  arms  in  his  hands.  I 
immediately  answered  him  that  if  he  walked  out  that  his  house  should  be 
saved  for  his  wife  and  children.  When  he  came  out  he  said,  'Here,  damn 
you,  here  I  am.*  With  that  he  received  two  balls  through  his  body;  he 
came  out  with  his  gun  cocked  and  sword  at  the  same  time." 

And  so  it  was  almost  every  day  during  the  period  that  Fan- 
ning was  raiding  in  North  Carolina,  burning  homes,  murdering, 
and  hanging.  On  the  other  side  there  was  equal  violence,  and 
many  Tories  were  hanged  and  many  shot  without  quarter,  par- 
ticularly when  taken  bushwhacking  and  marauding  in  small 
squads. 

Fanning's  proposition  for  a  truce  was  for  a  neutral  territory 
twenty  miles  north  and  south,  thirty  miles  east  and  west,  Ham- 
mond Coxe's  Mill  being  the  center,  to  be  totally  clear  of  the  Whig 
Light-Horse ;  to  be  no  plundering  or  murdering ;  all  public  roads 


DAVID  FANNING  97 

to  be  travelled  by  any  person  or  company  unmolested ;  the  Loyal- 
ists to  have  free  trade  with  any  port.  And  that  was  to  last  until 
the  end  of  the  war.  This  proposition  was  finally  rejected  about 
the  middle  of  March ;  and  in  April  Fanning,  together  with  two  of 
his  captains,  took  unto  themselves  wives  on  Deep  River,  and 
early  in  May  left  North  Carolina  with  their  wives  and  property 
for  the  peace-ground  on  the  Pedee  in  South  Carolina.  Remaining 
there  a  month,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1782,  he  departed  for 
Charleston,  and  on  the  28th  of  September,  together  with  the  other 
Loyalists  at  Charleston,  he  took  passage  for  St.  Augustine, 
Florida,  where  he  remained  two  years.  After  peace  many  of  the 
Loyalists  returned  to  North  Carolina.  But  Fanning's  career  had 
been  too  bloody  for  him  to  find  a  resting-place  among  the  people 
he  had  so  outraged.  His  remorseless  rapine  and  murderous  exe- 
cution were  without  a  parallel.  Besides  individual  hangings  and 
minor  encounters,  he  had  participated  in  thirty-six  bloody  en- 
gagements; and  the  plantations  he  had  ravaged  and  despoiled, 
leaving  ruin  and  suffering  in  his  path,  were  innumerable.  The 
General  Assembly  extended  amnesty  and  pardon  to  all  Tories 
with  the  exception  of  three,  and  Fanning  was  among  those  pro- 
scribed.   His  crimes  and  butcheries  were  beyond  forgiveness. 

In  September,  1784,  he  located  near  St.  John's,  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  later  resided  at  Digby,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  died  in 
1825. 

5.  A.  Ashe. 


PETER  FORNEY 

fETER  FORNEY  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, a  lawgiver  for  the  State  and  Nation,  and 
the  founder  of  the  iron  industry  in  western 
North  Carolina.  He  was  the  son  of  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  early  settlers  of  Lin- 
coln County,  and  was  himself  the  progenitor 
of  many  whose  names  are  upon  the  honor-roll  of  this  and  other 
States.  He  was  born  in  Lincoln  (formerly  Tryon)  County  in 
April,  1756,  and  died  there  ist  of  February,  1834,  in  the  seventy- 
eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  the  second  son  of  General  Jacob 
and  Mariah  (Bergner)  Forney.  His  mother  was  a  native  of 
Berne,  Switzerland.  She  came  to  America  on  board  the  same 
ship  which  brought  the  young  man  to  whom  she  afterwards  gave 
her  heart  and  hand.  General  Jacob  Forney  was  bom  about  1721 
in  Alsace  upon  the  Rhine,  to  which  place  his  father,  who  was  a 
Huguenot,  had  fled  after  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes 
in  1685.  About  1735  he  went  to  Amsterdam,  then  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  about  1754  joined  the  tide  of  emigration  for  the  South, 
and  settled  in  Lincoln  County.  In  1781  Cornwallis,  while  in  his 
pursuit  of  Morgan,  made  his  headquarters  for  about  three  days 
at  the  house  of  General  Jacob  Forney,  and  during  that  time  con* 
sumed  much  of  his  food  supplies  and  forage,  and  carried  off  his 
gold  and  silver,  amounting  to  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds  sterling.     The  Forney  log  house,  in  which  Cornwallis 


PETER  FORNEY  99 


was  an  unwelcome  guest,  was  still  standing  a  few  years  ago,  and 
I>erhaps  is  now.  The  name  was  originally  spelled  Farney,  but 
was  changed  by  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Alsace. 

Peter  Forney  entered  military  service  in  1776,  about  the  first 
of  June,  and  marched  under  command  of  Colonel  William  Graham 
and  Captain  James  Johnston  to  Fort  McFadden  (Rutherfordton) 
to  protect  the  inhabitants  of  that  section  against  the  Indians.  He 
joined  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  men  and  pursued  the  fleeing 
red  men  for  several  days.  Failing  in  overtaking  them,  he  re- 
turned to  the  fort.  His  next  expedition  was  against  a  body  of 
Tories  assembled  near  the  South  Carolina  line.  In  this  expedi- 
tion he  served  as  lieutenant  in  the  company  of  Captain  Charles 
Reid,  the  detachment  being  in  command  of  Colonel  Charles  Mc- 
Lean. The  detachment  brought  back  several  prisoners  who  were 
conveyed  to  Salisbury.  Lieutenant  Forney  was  then  transferred 
to  the  company  of  Captain  Kuykendal,  and  was  frequently  out  on 
expeditions  for  suppressing  and  intimidating  the  Tories.  In  the 
Fall  of  1779  he  volunteered  with  a  party  to  go  to  Kentucky 
(Harrod  Station),  where  he  remained  but  a  short  while.  Lieu- 
tenant Forney  then  joined  the  militia  company  of  Captain  Neal, 
which  was  preparing  to  march  for  the  relief  of  Charleston.  While 
in  waiting  at  Charlotte  for  the  assembling  of  more  troops,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  captaincy  in  place  of  Neal  by  Colonel  Hampton 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hambright.  He  marched  to  Charleston 
under  command  of  Colonel  Hall.  The  militia  of  the  State  was 
then  under  command  of  General  Lillington.  While  at  Charleston 
the  period  of  enlistment  of  most  of  Forney's  men  expired,  but 
he  succeeded  in  persuading  them  to  remain  for  about  six  weeks, 
at  which  time  fresh  troops  were  expected.  Immediately  after  his 
return  from  Charleston,  which  was  the  Spring  of  1780,  Captain 
Forney  volunteered  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hambright  and 
went  in  pursuit  of  Colonel  Floyd,  a  Tory  leader,  on  Fishing 
Creek,  South  Carolina.  Returning  from  this  expedition,  he  found 
the  Tories  assembled  at  Ramseur's  Mill  under  Colonel  John 
Moore,  and  another  body  of  them  near  Mountain  Creek.     He 


loo  NORTH  CAROLINA 

went  at  once  to  report  these  facts  to  General  Rutherford,  whom  he 
found  encamped  at  Colonel  Dickson's  on  the  Catawba,  three  miles 
northwest  of  Tuckaseege  Ford.  He  attached  himself  to  Ruther- 
ford's force  and  marched  to  Ramsetir's,  but  did  not  arrive  until 
two  hours  after  the  battle.  Captain  Forney  participated  in  the 
battle  at  Cowan's  Ford  on  the  ist  of  February,  1781.  When  the 
gallant  Davidson  fell  the  militia  was  repulsed.  Forney  retreated 
across  the  Yadkin  and  remained  upon  Abbott's  Creek  about  six 
weeks,  during  which  time  he  had  no  regular  command,  but  as- 
sisted the  American  cause  wherever  he  could  do  so  most  effec- 
tively. His  last  service  in  the  Revolution  was  to  command  a  com- 
pany of  dragoons  under  Major  Charles  Polk  in  the  expedition 
of  General  Rutherford  to  Wilmington.  When  these  troops  ap- 
proached that  city,  Major  Craig,  having  heard  of  Comwallis's  sur- 
render, fled,  and  thus  carried  away  from  the  soil  of  the  State  the 
last  red-coat. 

Having  devoted  several  years  of  his  life  to  military  operations, 
Captain  Forney  now  turned  his  attention  to  matters  of  a  more 
peaceful  nature,  but  none  the  less  profitable  to  his  country.  He 
fortunately  became  the  owner  of  the  "Big  Ore  Bank,"  located 
seven  miles  east  of  Lincolnton.  His  brother  Abram  (who  had 
participated  in  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain)  was  associated 
with  him  for  a  while.  It  is  recorded  in  a  small  note-book  of  his 
that  he  produced  hammered  iron  in  his  forge  on  the  26th  of 
August,  1788.  This  is  believed  to  be  the  first  manufacture  of 
iron  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  This  iron  deposit  was 
"granted"  by  the  State  in  1789  to  Peter  Forney  and  others  whose 
interests  he  subsequently  purchased.  In  1791  he  sold  a  portion  of 
this  bank  to  Captain  Alexander  Brevard,  Major  John  Davidson 
and  General  Joseph  Graham.  Vesuvius  Furnace  on  Anderson's 
Creek  and  Mount  Tirzah  Forge  were  erected  by  this  company. 
Forney  erected  a  forge  near  his  home  (now  the  property  of  Mrs. 
Hall),  bought  other  lands,  and  about  1809  erected  Madison 
(Derr)  Furnace  on  Leeper's  Creek  about  five  miles  from  Lincoln- 
ton.  These  works  supplied  the  Government  with  cannon-balls 
during  the  War  of  1812.    Madison  Furnace  was  washed  away  by 


PETER  FORNEY  loi 


a  freshet  about  1868,  and  the  Mariposa  Cotton  Mills,  owned  by 
Captain  Joseph  G.  Morrison,  now  occupy  the  site. 

Having  served  as  a  soldier  and  as  a  **Captain  of  Industry," 
Captain  Forney  had  attained  to  such  a  position  of  confidence  and 
respect  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellow-countrymen  that  he  was  called 
upon  by  them  for  service  in  the  political  aflfairs  of  the  State.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  been  appointed  by  the  Legislature  to  the  posi- 
tion of  brigadier-general  in  the  State  Militia.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons  in  1794,  1795  and  1796,  and 
of  the  State  Senate  in  1801-02.  His  services  here  were  so  satis- 
factory that  he  was  elected  to  membership  in  the  Thirteenth  Con- 
gress over  his  former  partner.  General  Joseph  Graham,  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  distinguished  men  in  the  State.  He 
served  from  the  24th  of  May,  1813,  to  the  3d  of  March,  1815,  and 
had  the  honor  of  being  succeeded  by  his  son,  David  M.  Forney. 
He  was  Presidential  Elector  several  times :  at  first  on  the  Jeffer- 
son ticket;  then  in  1813  on  the  Madison  ticket,  and  again  in  1825 
and  1829  on  the  Monroe  ticket. 

In  1783  General  Forney  married  Nancy,  the  daughter  of  David 
Abemethy,  a  lady  of  great  moral  worth,  goodness  of  heart,  and 
Christian  benevolence.  Five  sons  and  seven  daughters  blessed 
this  union.  They  and  their  children  have  proven  themselves 
worthy  of  their  illustrious  ancestry. 

General  Forney  passed  away  at  his  home,  "Mount  Welcome," 
at  a  ripe  old  age.  In  the  language  of  Wheeler,  he  was  "a  bright 
example  of  the  useful  citizen  and  upright  man.  Generosity,  can- 
dor, integrity  and  freedom  from  pride  and  vain  show  were  prom- 
inent traits  of  his  character." 

W,  A.  Withers, 


BENJAMIN  FORSYTH 


^Y  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  North 
Carolina  ratified  on  the  i6th  day  of  January, 
1849,  Stokes  County  was  divided,  and  out  of  it 
was  created  the  county  of  Forsyth,  the  name  (as 
the  act  states)  "being  given  in  honor  of  the 
memory  of  Benjamin  Forsyth,  a  native  of 
Stokes  County,  who  fell  on  the  northern  frontier  in  the  late  war 
with  England."  Stokes  County  had  been  named  as  a  compliment 
to  Colonel  John  Stokes,  who  lost  his  right  arm  in  a  fight  with 
Tarleton's  Dragoons  during  the  Revolution;  and  it  was  just  and 
proper  that  its  daughter  county  of  Forsyth  should  bear  the  name  of 
another  soldier  who  made  a  still  greater  sacrifice — even  life  itself — 
in  defence  of  America's  rights  during  our  second  conflict  with 
Great  Britain.  Benjamin  Forsyth's  first  entrance  into  the  army 
was  as  second  lieutenant  of  the  Sixth  Infantry  on  April  24,  1800; 
but  he  was  honorably  discharged  a  few  months  later,  on  June 
15th.  This  very  brief  service  was  possibly  due  to  a  temporary 
increase  in  the  army  on  account  of  the  imminent  probability  of 
war  growing  out  of  the  strained  relations  with  France  at  that 
time.  Returning  to  his  native  State,  Mr.  Forsyth  took  some  part 
in  the  politics  of  that  day.  In  two  successive  sessions  of  the  North 
Carolina  House  of  Commons,  which  met  on  the  i6th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1807,  and  on  the  21st  of  November,  1808,  he  represented 
Stokes  County.    Before  the  meeting  of  the  latter  session  Forsyth 


BENJAMIN  FORSYTH  103 

had  again  been  commissioned  an  officer  in  the  army,  but  remained 
in  North  Carolina  to  serve  out  his  term  in  the  Assembly,  which 
adjourned  on  the  23d  of  December,  1809.  Hence  he  did  not  ac- 
tively enter  upon  his  military  duties  until  1809,  though  his  com- 
mission bore  date  July  i,  1808.  He  was  assigned  to  the  Rifle 
Regiment  with  the  rank  of  captain,  and  held  this  position  when 
the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  opened  in  18 12.  His  first  ex- 
ploit in  that  war  was  in  September  of  that  year.  On  the  20th  of 
that  month  he  embarked  at  Cape  Vincent  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  in  New  York,  and  went  down  in  boats  to  the  towns  of 
Gananoque  and  Leeds  on  the  Canadian  side,  for  the  purpose  pri- 
marily of  destroying  the  King's  store-house  at  one  of  those  places. 
In  Captain  Forsyth's  party  were  seventy  riflemen  from  the  reg- 
ular army,  and  thirty-four  militiamen.  They  landed  before  day- 
break on  the  2 1st  without  being  observed,  but  were  discovered 
shortly  after  sunrise  and  fired  upon  by  a  body  of  125  British 
regulars  and  militia.  This  fire  was  returned ;  and,  after  a  sharp 
skirmish,  the  King's  forces  fled,  leaving  ten  or  more  of  their  num- 
ber dead  on  the  field,  while  others  fell  into  the  stream.  Eight 
British  regulars  and  some  of  the  militia  were  made  prisoners  by 
the  Americans,  who  destroyed  the  store-house  and  returned  to 
Cape  Vincent  with  many  captured  military  supplies,  after  paroling 
the  militia  prisoners.  In  this  expedition  the  United  States  forces 
had  only  one  man  killed  and  one  slightly  wounded.  On  Janu- 
ary 20,  181 3,  Captain  Forsyth  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
major.  He  was  an  officer  not  only  of  great  bravery,  but  of 
unusual  dash,  vigor  and  enterprise. 

While  commandant  of  the  post  at  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  on 
February  6,  1813,  Major  Forsyth  gathered  together  a  force  of 
about  two  hundred  regulars  and  volunteers,  and  with  these  pro- 
ceeded in  sleighs  up  the  river  to  Morristown.  At  three  o'clock  in 
the  darkness  of  the  following  morning  they  crossed  over  the  river 
to  Elizabethtown,  surprised  the  guard  and  took  fifty-two  prisoners, 
among  whom  were  five  officers.  They  also  captured  120  muskets, 
twenty  rifles  and  several  boxes  of  ammunition;  and  returned  to 
Ogdensburg  without  the  loss  of  a  man.     A  few  days  later,  on 


I04  NORTH  CAROLINA 

February  2ist,  the  British  gathered  a  force  of  more  than  twice  the 
number  under  Forsyth,  who  was  at  Ogdensburg,  and  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  him  out  of  that  place,  but  suffered  severely  in 
so  doing.  On  that  occasion  the  British  forces  formed  themselves 
in  two  columns  of  600  men  each,  and  in  the  battle  killed  and 
wounded  about  twenty  Americans.  Forsyth  reported  that,  from 
the  coolness  with  which  his  riflemen  fired  he  was  led  to  believe 
that  the  British  had  lost  at  least  three  times  that  number.  The 
Americans  retreated  to  Black  Lake,  about  nine  miles  from 
Ogdensburg.  Shortly  thereafter  Forsyth  was  present  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  George,  in  Canada,  on  May  27,  181 3,  and  greatly 
added  to  his  reputation  as  a  soldier  in  the  battle  fought  there. 

For  "distinguished  services"  Major  Forsyth  was  first  given 
the  brevet  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  was  later  (April  15, 
1814)  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  26th  Infantry. 

An  anecdote  of  Colonel  Forsyth  appeared  shortly  after  his 
death  in  the  Pennsylvania  Journal,  and  was  copied  in  Niles's  Reg- 
ister for  January  11,  181 7.    This  account  says: 

"Colonel  Forsyth,  so  celebrated  in  the  last  war  as  the  commander  of  a 
band  of  sharp-shooters  which  harassed  the  enemy  so  much,  happened  in 
a  scouting  party  to  capture  a  British  officer.  He  brought  him  into  his 
camp  and  treated  him  with  every  respect  due  to  his  rank.  Happening  to 
enter  into  conversation  on  the  subject  of  sharpshooters,  the  British  officer 
observed  that  Colonel  Forsyth's  men  were  a  terror  to  the  British  camp- 
that  as  far  as  they  could  see  they  could  select  the  officer  from  the  private, 
and  the  officer  of  course  fell  a  sacrifice  to  their  precise  shooting.  He 
wished  very  much  to  see  a  specimen  of  their  shooting.  Forsyth  gave  the 
wink  to  one  of  his  officers,  then  at  hand,  who  departed  and  instructed  two 
of  his  best  marksmen,  belonging  to  the  corps,  to  pass  by  the  commanding 
officers'  quarters  at  stated  intervals.  This  being  arranged,  Colonel  For- 
syth informed  the  British  officer  that  he  should  be  gratified,  and  observed 
that  he  would  step  in  front  of  his  tent  and  see  whether  any  of  his  men 
were  near  at  hand.  According  to  arrangements  made,  one  of  the  best 
marksmen  appeared.  The  colonel  ordered  him  to  come  forward,  and  in- 
quired whether  his  rifle  was  in  good  order.  *Yes,  sir,'  replied  the  man. 
He  then  stuck  a  table  knife  in  a  tree  about  fifty  paces  distant  and  ordered 
the  man  to  split  his  ball.  He  fired  and  the  ball  was  completely  divided  by 
the  knife,  perforating  the  tree  on  each  side.  This  astonished  the  British 
officer.     Presently  another  soldier  appeared  in  sight.    He  was  called,  and 


BENJAMIN  FORSYTH  105 

ordered,  at  the  same  distance,  to  shoot  the  ace  of  clubs  out  of  the  card. 
This  was  actually  done.  The  British  officer  was  confounded  and  amazed — 
still  more  so  when  the  colonel  informed  him  that  four  weeks  before  those 
men  were  living  at  their  homes  in  the  capacity  of  husbandmen.  So  much 
for  the  American  soldiery." 

The  death  of  Colonel  Forsyth  occurred  near  Odelltown,  on  the 
Canadian  frontier,  June  28,  1814,  and  was  due  to  his  refusal  to 
retire  even  when  ordered  to  do  so.  His  commanding  general 
had  ordered  a  small  party  of  Americans  to  attack  a  larger  body 
of  British,  and  then  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  leading  the  pursuing 
party  into  an  ambush  which  had  been  formed.  A  portion  of  this 
ambuscade  was  commanded  by  Forsyth,  who  also  had  orders 
to  retreat  after  a  short  brush  with  the  British ;  but  he  preferred 
to  fight  to  a  finish  then  and  there.  In  a  contemporaneous  publi- 
cation in  North  Carolina  (the  Raleigh  Register  of  July  15,  1814) 
we  find  this  account : 

"At  a  short  distance  from  the  road  Colonel  Forsyth  lay  with  a  party 
of  riflemen  in  ambush.  It  is  said  that  the  Colonel  had  also  been  ordered 
to  retreat  if  discovered  by  the  enemy  while  advancing;  and  that,  had  the 
orders  been  obeyed,  a  strong  detachment  then  moving  in  the  skirt  of  the 
wood  would  have  gained  the  enemy's  rear  and  captured  them.  But  un- 
fortunately for  the  service  as  well  as  for  himself,  Colonel  Forsyth,  as  soon 
as  the  enemy  came  up,  gave  them  battle.  They  suspected  the  ambuscade, 
returned  two  fires  and  retreated.  At  the  first  fire  Colonel  Forsyth  fell. 
He  received  a  shot  through  his  breast,  and  shortly  thereafter  expired. 
Colonel  Forsyth  was  a  brave  and  intrepid  soldier.  On  our  part,  except  the 
Colonel,  two  only  were  wounded,  and  none  killed.  Of  the  killed  and 
wounded  of  the  enemy  we  are  not  informed." 

Another  contemporaneous  account  of  the  death  of  Forsyth  we 
find  in  Niles's  Register  for  July  16,  1814,  under  the  head  of 
"Events  of  the  War."    This  account  says: 

"Lieutenant-Colonel  Forsyth,  of  the  Rifle  Corps,  was  killed  on  the  28th 
ult.,  in  a  skirmish  near  Odelltown.  It  appears  that  a  plan  had  been  formed 
for  ambuscading  a  detachment  of  the  enemy,  near  that  place,  by  Briga- 
dier-General Smith,  and  that  Forsyth  had  orders  to  attack,  retreat  and 
draw  them  into  the  snare.  The  affray  commenced ;  but,  instead  of  falling 
back,  his  personal  courage  tempted  him  to  make  a  stand,  and  he  remained 
in  the  road  within  sixteen  rods  of  the  enemy,  where  he  received  a  ball 


io6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

near  the  collar-bone,  which  brought  him  to  the  ground.  He  immediately 
expressed  a  conviction  that  he  must  die,  and  exclaimed,  'Boys,  rush  on!* 
He  was  the  only  person  killed — two  others  were  slightly  wounded.  It  is 
understood  that  the  enemy  had  seventeen  killed.  Forsyth  was  buried 
next  day  at  Champlain  with  the  honors  of  war.  He  was  a  terror  of  the 
enemy,  and  among  the  best  partisan  officers  that  ever  lived." 

The  Legislature  of  North  Carolina,  wishing  that  the  family  of 
Colonel  Forsyth  might  be  comfortably  provided  for,  appointed  a 
committee  several  years  later  to  investigate  its  condition.  On  the 
22d  of  December,  1817,  this  committee  reported  to  the  House  of 
Commons  that  the  Forsyth  family  then  consisted  of  the  colonel's 
widow,  four  daughters  and  a  son — ^the  latter  then  about  eight 
years  of  age ;  that  the  condition  of  Mrs.  Forsyth  was  not  of  a  de- 
scription to  require  aid  from  the  State,  though  her  circumstances 
were  not  affluent.  The  committee  at  the  same  time  recommended 
that  the  State  should  bear  the  expenses  of  educating  young  For- 
syth ;  that  the  Governor  should  be  ex  o/Kcio  his  guardian ;  and  that 
a  sword  should  be  presented  to  this  youth  by  the  General  As- 
sembly "as  an  expression  of  the  grateful  sense  they  entertain  of 
the  gallantry  and  good  conduct  of  the  aforesaid  Colonel  Benjamin 
Forsyth." 

The  above-mentioned  son  of  Colonel  Forsyth  was  James  N. 
Forsyth.  He  entered  as  a  student  at  the  University  of  North 
Carolina;  and,  with  the  consent  of  his  ex-ofUcio  guardian.  Gov- 
ernor Hutchins  G.  Burton,  left  that  institution  to  enter  the  United 
States  Navy,  wherein  he  was  commissioned  a  midshipman  on 
November  i,  1826.  The  Legislature  of  1825  repealed  the  above 
provision  for  young  Forsyth's  education,  and  in  lieu  thereof  di- 
rected the  Governor  to  invest  $750  as  a  fund  whose  interest  would 
be  paid  him  until  he  was  twenty-one,  and  then  the  principal  should 
be  turned  over  to  him.  Though  the  interest  was  paid  Midshipman 
Forsyth  as  late  as  the  year  of  his  death,  he  never  lived  to  draw  the 
principal.  He  perished  at  sea  in  the  wreck  of  the  Hornet  in  the 
month  of  September,  1829. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


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JOSHUA  WALKER  GORE 


JOSHUA  WALKER  GORE,  engineer,  physi- 
cist,  inventor,  and  Professor  of  Physics  in  the 
University  of  North  Carolina,  bom  in  Fred- 
erick County,  Virginia,  on  the  loth  of  Janu- 
ary, 1852,  was  the  son  of  Mahlon  Gore  and 
Sydney  Sophia  (Cather)  Gore.  His  earliest 
ancestor  in  America  was  his  paternal  great-grandfather,  John 
Gore,  who  came  from  England  as  one  of  a  colony  of  Friends  who 
settled  in  Loudon  County,  Virginia,  about  1778.  His  grandfather 
was  Thomas  Gore  and  his  grandmother  Sarah  Walker.  His  ma- 
ternal great-grandfather  came  from  northern  Ireland  shortly  after 
the  Revolutionary  War  and  settled  in  Frederick  County,  Virginia. 
The  family  had  originally  gone  from  Scotland,  and  were  of  the 
Covenanters.  His  maternal  grandfather,  James  Cather,  was  born 
in  Glasgow ;  and  his  maternal  grandmother,  Nancy  Howard,  was 
a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland.  James  Cather  enlisted  in  the  War 
of  1812;  he  represented  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature  in  the 
early  forties,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Secession  Convention  of 
1 86 1,  voting  against  that  measure.  Upon  the  first  rumor  of  in- 
vasion by  Federal  soldiers,  however,  he  raised  a  company  of  home 
guards.  Such  is  the  family  history  of  the  breed,  a  stock  that  has 
given  to  the  country  some  of  its  strongest  men. 

Mr.  Gore's  father,  who  was  a  farmer  and  merchant,  died  in 
i860,  when  Mr.  Gore  was  but  eight  years  old,  and  he  was  de- 


io8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

prived  of  a  father's  guidance;  but  the  devoted  mother  was  both 
father  and  mother  to  the  boy. 

His  early  education  was  received  at  the  Loudon  Valley  Acad- 
emy, from  which,  in  1871,  he  entered  Richmond  College.  While 
there  he  made  certificates  in  mathematics  and  physics  and  did 
work  in  ancient  and  modem  languages.  In  1873  he  went  from 
Richmond  College  to  the  University  of  Virginia,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1875  with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer.  After 
leaving  the  University  he  spent  two  years  (1876-78)  at  Johns 
Hopkins  as  Fellow  in  Mathematics,  paying  special  attention  also 
to  physics.  At  the  Hopkins  he  was  directly  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  great  Sylvester  in  mathematics  and  of  Rowland  in 
physics. 

Mr.  Gore  was  soon  elected  Professor  of  Physics  and  Chemistry 
in  the  Southwestern  Baptist  University  at  Jackson,  Tennessee, 
where  he  remained  until  1881,  when  he  was  selected  by  his  hon- 
ored teacher.  Colonel  C.  S.  Venable,  as  his  assistant  in  mathe- 
matics in  the  University  of  Virginia.  In  1882  he  was  called  to  the 
professorship  of  physics  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
which  position  he  is  still  filling  efficiently  and  acceptably. 

At  the  University  of  North  Carolina  he  has  been  wholly  re- 
sponsible for  the  electric  light  plant,  and  in  large  measure  for 
the  heating  and  water  plants.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers 
for  the  investment  of  endowment  funds  in  these  and  other  im- 
provements, which  are  sources  of  revenue  to  the  University.  He 
was  also  greatly  interested  in  and  aided  in  establishing  the  Uni- 
versity Press,  and  has  had  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  building.  He  has  developed  a  strong  course  of  electricity 
at  the  University,  and  as  Dean  of  the  Department  of  Applied 
Science  he  is  aiding  in  the  upbuilding  of  an  institution  to  meet 
the  growing  needs  of  the  South. 

Professor  Gore  is  the  inventor  of  improvements  in  telephony 
and  in  wireless  telegraphy,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  many 
matters  connected  with  the  subject  of  engineering.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science 
and  of  other  learned  societies.    During  the  greater  part  of  his  life 


JOSHUA  WALKER  GORE  109 

in  Chapel  Hill  he  has  been  Dean  of  the  University.  He  was  Act- 
ing-President during  President  Alderman's  absence  in  Europe, 
and  upon  the  resignation  of  Doctor  Alderman  as  President  of  the 
University  the  visiting  committee  recommended  to  the  board  of 
trustees  that  Professor  Gore  be  made  Acting-President  for  a  year 
pending  the  selection  of  a  president. 

He  was  urged  by  his  friends  for  the  presidency  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  and  also  for  the  same  position  in  con- 
nection with  the  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts  at 
Raleigh,  though  he  never  consented  to  the  presentation  of  his 
name  for  either  position.  His  remarkable  executive  ability  and 
excellent  business  sense  have  brought  him  flattering  offers  from 
beyond  the  bounds  of  the  State,  but  he  has  preferred  to  remain 
with  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  much  of  the  marked 
success  of  the  institution  has  been  due  to  Mr.  Gore's  good  common 
sense,  sound  judgment  and  business  ability. 

On  November  9,  1883,  Professor  Gore  married  Miss  Margaret 
Corinthia Williams, daughter  of  Reverend  J. W.  M.Williams,  D.D., 
noted  minister  of  the  Gospel,  bom  in  Portsmouth,  Virginia, 
who  for  over  forty  years  was  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Baltimore,  Maryland.  Mrs.  Gore's  mother  was  Miss  Corinthia 
Read,  of  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia,  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Colonel  Edward  Scarborough,  Surveyor-General  of  Virginia 
under  King  George  HI. 

Mr.  Gore  is  a  Democrat  and  a  Baptist,  and  an  active  worker 
in  both  Church  and  State.  He  is  a  man  of  affairs,  an  alderman 
of  the  town  of  Chapel  Hill,  and  a  director  of  the  bank  of  Chapel 
Hill.  In  reviewing  Professor  Gore's  career  one  hardly  knows 
whether  to  attribute  his  success  to  his  own  individual  initiative, 
to  the  marked  influence  of  a  most  remarkable  mother,  or  to  his 
singularly  happy  home  life;  but  perhaps  it  were  better  to  say 
that  these  combined  have  made  him  the  man  he  is. 

Collier'  Cobb. 


JULIUS  ALEXANDER  GRAY 


ULIUS  ALEXANDER  GRAY  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  thus  identified  with  a  people 
that  has  played  a  part  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance in  the  material,  social,  intellectual,  and 
moral  development  of  the  middle  section  of 
North  Carolina.  His  grandfather  was  Robert 
Gray ;  his  father,  Alexander  Gray.  Both  lived  to  the  exceptional 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  The  family  lived  first  in  New  Castle, 
New  Jersey,  removing  thence  to  Orange  County,  Virginia.  Here 
Alexander  Gray  was  born  in  1768,  and  thence  he  removed  to  Ran- 
dolph County,  North  Carolina.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of 
unusually  good  education  for  the  day  in  which  he  lived,  and  of 
noteworthy  intellectual  and  literary  tastes,  a  charming  story-teller, 
and  a  leader  in  the  social  life  with  which  he  came  in  contact.  He 
was  in  the  North  Carolina  State  Senate  in  1799,  1804- 1807,  181 2, 
1823,  and  1 826- 1 828.  He  owned  a  plantation  in  Randolph 
County  and  more  than  one  hundred  slaves — an  unusually  large 
number  for  his  day  in  the  section  of  country  in  which  he  lived. 
In  18 1 2  he  was  appointed  a  general  in  the  North  Carolina  militia 
to  serve,  if  necessary,  in  the  war  then  waging  against  Great 
Britain.  Just  before  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  put  in  command 
of  the  State  troops  in  the  field  at  Wadesboro ;  but,  on  account  of 
the  early  conclusion  of  peace,  he  was  not  called  into  active  ser- 
vice.    He  is  said,  also,  to  have  been  appointed  a  commissioner 


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JULIUS  ALEXANDER  GRAY  in 

on  the  part  of  the  State  to  treat  with  the  Indians  of  western  North 
Carolina  and  eastern  Tennessee,  while  Tennessee  was  yet  a  part 
of  North  Carolina. 

Alexander  Gray  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Jeduthan  Harper, 
a  citizen  of  Randolph  County,  a  colonel  during  the  War  for  In- 
dependence, and  a  representative  of  his  county  in  the  Legisla- 
ture— a  man  of  vigorous  character  and  a  kinsman  of  Robert  Good- 
loe  Harper,  the  celebrated  Maryland  lawyer  and  statesman. 

Julius  Gray  was  born  in  his  father's  home  September  6,  1833. 
He  grew  up  in  the  conventional  way  of  boys  in  his  station  in  life 
and  of  his  opportunities.  Strong  in  body  and  of  vigorous  health, 
he  lived  an  active  and  wholesome  life,  but  was  not  subjected  to 
any  systematic  labor.  He  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  "High 
School"  in  Greensboro — ^probably  the  Caldwell  Institute — and 
under  the  Reverend  Jesse  Rankin  at  Lexington,  North  Carolina. 
Entering  the  Sophomore  class  at  Davidson  College  in  1850,  he 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1853.  Two  years  later, 
when  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  he  became  teller  and  book- 
keeper in  the  Cape  Fear  Bank  of  Greensboro,  of  which  Jesse  H. 
Lindsay  was  president.  He  was  fortunate  in  thus  beginning  his 
business  career.  Jesse  H.  Lindsay  was  one  of  the  best  and  best- 
known  bankers  in  his  section  of  the  State.  Of  methodical  habits, 
unalloyed  integrity,  the  strictest  moral  conduct,  and  a  conspicu- 
ously consistent  Christian  character,  he  was  in  every  way  fitted 
to  influence  for  the  best  the  young  men  whom  he  trained  in  his 
bank.  Not  only  did  Mr.  Gray  come  in  contact  with  such  a  per- 
sonal influence  in  the  beginning  of  his  business  life,  but  in  com- 
ing to  Greensboro  he  came  to  the  most  important  business  locality 
in  that  part  of  the  State,  and  to  a  locality  whose  social  life  was 
unpretending,  select,  sincere,  elevated,  and  elevating. 

After  living  three  years  amid  these  surroundings  Mr.  Gray 
was  elected,  in  1858,  cashier  of  a  bank  in  Danville,  Virginia,  and 
went  to  that  town  to  live.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he  mar- 
ried Emma  Victoria,  a  daughter  of  Governor  John  M.  Morehead, 
and  a  niece  of  Jesse  Lindsay,  his  former  chief  in  the  Greensboro 
bank.    He  remained  in  Danville  but  little  more  than  two  years, 


112  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ill-health  compelling  him  to  resign  his  place  in  the  Fall  of  i860 
and  spend  the  Winter  in  Florida.  He  returned  to  North  Caro- 
lina the  following  Spring,  and  took  charge  of  his  father-in-law's 
cotton  mills  at  Leaksville.  During  the  same  year  he  was  appointed 
to  a  position  in  the  treasury  department  of  the  Confederate  States 
Government,  a  position  which  he  held  until  the  fall  of  that  gov- 
ernment. 

The  Civil  War,  although  adding  to  the  burdens  of  Mr.  Gray's 
life,  did  not  so  completely  lessen  its  continuity  as  it  did  most  men 
in  his  station.  The  family  slaves,  it  is  true,  were  lost,  the  value 
of  the  family  property  much  decreased  and  made  uncertain,  and 
the  social  and  political  life  of  the  section  of  country  in  which  he 
lived  radically  changed.  But  he  had  remained  in  civil  life  and  had 
kept  his  grip  on  business.  He  could,  therefore,  go  on  after  the 
war  with  less  of  readjustment  than  the  most  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors  had  to  make.  His  duties,  however,  were  onerous 
enough.  During  the  war  his  father,  his  only  brother,  and  his 
two  brothers-in-law  had  died,  his  brother  Robert,  the  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  2nd  Regiment,  North  Carolina  Troops,  dying  in 
camp  near  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  in  March,  1863.  To  settle 
the  estates  of  these  men,  and  to  provide  for  their  families,  upon  the 
conclusion  of  peace,  was  Mr.  Gray's  particular  duty ;  and  to  that 
he  devoted  the  first  few  years  immediately  following  the  close  of 
the  war. 

In  1869,  when  the  Bank  of  Greensboro  was  chartered  by  the 
State,  with  Jesse  H.  Lindsay  as  president,  Julius  A.  Gray  was 
made  cashier;  and,  in  1876,  when  the  bank  was  converted  into  the 
National  Bank  of  Greensboro,  he  was  continued  in  the  same  office. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1879,  Mr.  Gray  was  by  an  almost  unani- 
mous vote  elected  president  of  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley 
Railway,  in  which  he  owned  forty-three  and  a  half  shares  of  stock. 
The  task  thus  laid  upon  him  was  one  which  he  might  have  hesi- 
tated a  long  time  before  accepting.  The  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin 
Valley  Railway  had  been  chartered  originally  as  the  "Western 
Railroad  Company,"  to  build  a  railway  between  Fayetteville  "and 
the  coal  region  in  the  counties  of  Moore  and  Chatham."    But  the 


JULIUS  ALEXANDER  GRAY  113 

company  was  only  to  an  indifferent  degree  successful  in  its  pro- 
jects. In  1861  it  had  become  heavily  involved  in  debt,  the  larger 
part  of  which  was  due  the  State,  and  had  in  operation  only  about 
forty  miles  of  road  poorly  equipped.  Diying  the  Civil  War  there 
could,  of  course,  be  no  satisfactory  management  of  the  property — 
financial  or  constructional.  In  1866  the  company  had  little  ready 
money  at  its  command,  it  owed  the  State  $600,000,  and  its  prop- 
erty was  so  covered  by  mortgages  that  further  borrowing  was  im- 
practicable. 

In  December,  1866,  the  State  Treasurer  was  authorized  to  ac- 
cept the  company's  stock  for  the  debt  due  the  State ;  thereby  can- 
celling this  debt  and  putting  the  State  in  possession  of  the  most 
of  the  stock.  Charges  of  fraud  in  the  management  under  State 
direction  between  1869  and  1871  were  freely  made.  To  what 
extent  or  in  what  particulars  they  were  true  it  is  no  part  of  this 
paper  to  discuss.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  during  the  dozen  years 
just  preceding  Mr.  Gray's  election  to  the  presidency  the  road  had 
slender  assets,  was  heavily  in  debt,  and  was  involved  in  what 
seemed  to  be  a  hopeless  tangle  of  litigation.  For  keeping  the  prop- 
erty together  during  these  critical  years,  and  fighting  to  a  suc- 
cessful finish  nearly  if  not  quite  all  of  the  legal  battles,  full  credit 
is  due  the  administration  of  L.  C.  Jones,  Mr.  Gray's  immediate 
predecessor.  But  for  his  work,  that  of  Mr.  Gray,  arduous  though 
it  was,  would  have  been  far  more  difficult. 

During  these  years  the  charter  of  the  road  had  been  from  time 
to  time  amended  to  allow  an  extension  from  Fayetteville  to  the 
South  Carolina  line,  there  to  connect  with  any  road  in  South 
Carolina,  and  from  the  "coal  region"  to  the  Tennessee  line  by  way 
of  Wilkesboro,  and  to  the  Virginia  line  by  way  of  Mount  Airy. 
But  upon  the  consolidation,  early  in  1879,  of  the  Western  Rail- 
road with  a  company  organized  to  build  a  road  from  Greensboro 
to  Mount  Airy,  the  Tennessee  route  was  abandoned,  and  a  route 
from  Fayetteville  to  Mount  Airy  by  way  of  Greensboro  de- 
termined upon  as  the  main  line,  the  whole  system  to  be  known 
as  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley  Railroad. 

Mr.  Gray  prosecuted  vigorously  the  work  of  finishing  the  road ; 


1  [4  NORTH  CAROLINA 

but  he  found  an  insurmountable  difficulty  in  the  State's  owner- 
ship of  5500  shares  out  of  a  total  of  7170.  He  consequently,  in 
1883,  organized  a  company  which  purchased  the  State's  stock, 
making  possible  the  securing  of  the  money  needed  to  construct 
and  equip  the  road.  Thenceforward  the  president  and  directors 
could  command  with  little  difficulty  the  money  they  needed. 

At  the  time  of  this  change  of  name  and  administration  trains 
were  running  regularly  between  Fayetteville  and  "the  Gulf,"  a 
distance  of  forty-four  miles,  and  the  roadbed  was  graded  four 
miles  beyond  "the  Gulf"  towards  Greensboro.  It  had  earned  the 
preceding  year  $30,512.49;  and  its  operating  expenses  had  been 
$26,837.40.  When  the  State's  interest  was  bought  the  grading 
had  been  completed  to  Greensboro,  and  almost  completed  beyond 
to  Walnut  Cove,  from  Fayetteville  to  the  South  Carolina  line  to- 
wards Bennettsville.  The  earnings  the  previous  year  had  been 
$45,946.06;  the  expenses  $37»i77i3- 

Mr.  Gray  put  all  of  his  energies,  now  unhampered  by  any 
political  contingencies,  into  the  finishing  and  equipping  of  the 
road.  The  route  by  Wilkesboro  to  the  Tennessee  line  was  aban- 
doned to  make  Mount  Airy  the  northwestern  terminus,  with  the 
idea  of  ultimately  connecting  with  the  Norfolk  and  Western  Rail- 
way. Progress  was  rapid.  April  16,  1884,  regular  trains  went 
through  from  Fayetteville  to  Greensboro;  and  December  5th  of 
that  year  from  Fayetteville  to  Bennettsville ,  South  Carolina.  June 
II,  1888,  the  extension  from  Greensboro  to  Mount  Airy  was 
opened  for  business;  and,  February  17,  1890,  from  Fayetteville  to 
Wilmington ;  and  by  the  middle  of  June,  1890,  the  Ramseur  and 
Madison  branches  had  been  completed.  In  all  there  were  in  opera- 
tion about  338  miles,  as  against  something  over  forty  in  1879. 

Mr.  Gray  and  his  company  planned  largely  for  their  road  and 
its  part  in  the  material  development  of  North  Carolina.  How  suc- 
cessful they  would  have  been  is  a  matter  for  conjecture  only. 
The  company  had  borrowed  money  largely  to  do  what  had  already 
been  done;  so  when  the  road,  in  consequence  of  the  business 
"panic"  of  1893,  failed,  on  account  of  decreased  earnings,  to  pay 
the  interest  on  its  debt,  Mr.  Gray  having  died  in  1891,  it  went 


JULIUS  ALEXANDER  GRAY  115 

into  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  But  Mr.  Gray's  credit  for  what  he 
did  should  not  be,  for  this  reason,  the  less.  Under  his  manage- 
ment the  road  won  the  esteem  and  good-will  of  all  who  had  any 
dealings  with  it.  The  employes  were  treated  with  kindness  and 
consideration;  shippers  found  an  accommodating  service  and  just 
rates;  and  passengers  met  with  courtesy  and  found  every  pro- 
vision for  their  comfort  and  safety. 

Although  the  railway  received  Mr.  Gray's  closest  attention  and 
his  best  efforts  during  the  last  dozen  years  of  his  life,  it  by  no 
means  absorbed  his  energies.  The  demands  of  his  social  life  were 
met  in  his  home  by  a  gracious  and  cordial  hospitality,  and  else- 
where by  a  geniality  of  manner  and  unselfishness  of  spirit  that 
made  him  a  welcome  guest  wherever  he  went.  In  his  mingling 
with  men,  whether  his  social  and  business  equals  or  his  sub- 
ordinates, his  intercourse  was  uniformly  marked  by  a  dignified 
respect  for  himself  and  a  considerate  thoughtfulness  of  others. 
He  was  actively  identified  with  all  the  phases  of  life  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived,  supporting  its  business,  educational,  and 
reHgious  enterprises  with  equal  earnestness.  He  was  the  Vice- 
President  and  General  Manager  of  the  North  State  Improvement 
Company,  the  construction  company  which  built  the  Cape  Fear 
and  Yadkin  Valley  Railway.  In  1887  he  was  elected  President 
of  the  National  Bank  of  Greensboro,  to  succeed  Jesse  H.  Lindsay, 
who  had  just  died.  He  had  been  cashier  of  this  bank  since  1869, 
though  only  nominally  so  since  his  election  to  the  presidency  of 
the  railway.  He  was  the  Vice-President  and  one  of  the  original 
directors  of  the  Guilford  Battle  Ground  Company — ^an  association 
organized  to  purchase  and  improve  for  the  public  the  site  of  the 
battle  of  Guilford  Court  House.  When  the  Greensboro  Female 
College  was  sold  for  debt,  he  was  one  of  the  men  who  organized 
a  stock  company  to  purchase  the  property  and  equipment  and  to 
continue  the  same  as  a  girls'  school.  Besides  these,  he  was  identi- 
fied in  one  way  or  another  with  numerous  minor  organizations, 
one  of  the  most  important  being  the  Greensboro  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, of  which  he  was  President. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Gray  joined,  upon  confession  of  faith,  the  First 


ii6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Greensboro,  and  remained  in  that  com- 
munion for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  April  14,  1891,  of  an  at- 
tack of  pneumonia,  contracted  a  few  days  before,  during  a  busi- 
ness trip  to  New  York  City.  He  left  a  wife  and  six  children: 
Annie,  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Fry ;  Robert  Percy ;  Jessie,  the  wife  of 
E.  E.  Richardson ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Doctor  J.  Allison  Hodges ; 
Eugenia,  the  wife  of  George  C.  Heck;  and  Morehead.  The 
widow  and  all  the  children,  except  Percy  and  Mary,  who  lives  in 
Richmond,  Virginia,  are  now  (1906)  dead. 

In  positions  where  the  temptations  to  work  primarily  for  one's 
self,  and  to  use  others  as  stepping-stones  for  one's  own  advance- 
ment, are  so  strong,  Mr.  Gray  ever  maintained  his  ideals.  The 
daily  papers  of  Greensboro  and  of  the  State  at  large,  and  resolu- 
tions of  the  organizations  of  which  he  was  a  member  or  with 
which  he  was  in  any  way  affiliated,  and  his  friends  and  associates 
in  private  life,  with  one  voice  paid  unqualified  tribute  to  his  in- 
tegrity of  character,  his  gentleness,  lovableness  of  manner  and 
disposition,  his  regard  for  the  feelings  and  the  rights  of  others, 
and  his  patriotic  devotion  to  whatever  could  promote  the  public 
welfare.  Though  not  one  of  the  leaders  of  men  in  the  departments 
of  life  which  historians  usually  emphasize — war  and  politics — ^he 
lived  to  the  full  his  life  in  that  direction  which  is  at  the  foundation 
of  all  healthy  commonwealths — loyal,  public-spirited  citizenship. 

George  Stockton  Wills. 


JOHN  HALL 

OHN  HALL,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  North  Carolina  at  the  time  of 
its  organization  in  1818,  was  born  in  Augusta 
County,  Virginia,  on  the  31st  of  May,  1767. 
His  father,  Edward  Hall,  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  first  to  Pennsylvania,  later 
making  his  home  in  Virginia,  about  the  year  1736.  In  the  Spring 
of  1744  this  Edward  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eleanor 
Stuart,  a  daughter  of  Archibald  Stuart,  Sr.,  of  the  noted  family 
from  which  sprang  Judge  Archibald  Stuart,  Jr.,  the  Honorable 
A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  of  President  Fillmore's  Cabinet,  and  General 
J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  of  the  Confederate  Army.  The  above  lady  was 
mother  of  a  large  family,  one  of  her  sons  being  our  present  subject. 
After  due  preparation  John  Hall  entered  William  and  Mary 
College,  and  there  formed  the  acquaintance  (among  other  friends 
of  later  years)  of  John  Stark  Ravenscroft,  a  young  law  student 
who  afterwards  entered  the  ministry  and  was  Bishop  of  North 
Carolina  at  the  same  time  that  Hall  was  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State.  Young  Hall  studied  law  at  Staunton,  Vir- 
ginia, under  his  kinsman,  Judge  Archibald  Stuart.  Of  HalFs 
sentiments  toward  the  latter  gentleman  it  has  been  said : 

"He  was  fondly  attached  to  his  legal  instructor,  and  cherished  an  ardent 
gratitude  towards  him  for  his  assistance  in  the  prosecution  of  his  pro- 
fessional studies  as  well  as  for  his  uniform  friendship  and  kindness.    He 


ii8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

often  spoke  of  him  with  warm  affection  in  subsequent  life,  and  named 
a  son  after  him.  The  intelligence  of  Judge  Stuart's  death  was  received 
by  him  with  deep  emotions  of  sorrow  during  his  own  last  illness." 

When  a  young  man  about  twenty-five  years  of  age  John  Hall, 
having  completed  his  legal  studies,  located  at  the  town  of  War- 
renton,  North  Carolina,*which  was  his  place  of  residence  through- 
out the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  his  new  home  the  prospects 
of  the  young  stranger  were  at  first  discouraging.  He  was  of  a 
rather  diffident  nature,  and  reserved  in  his  intercourse  with  the 
public.  Nor  were  his  talents  as  an  orator  of  a  high  order.  But 
he  had  a  splendid  intellect  which  laborious  study  had  richly  stored 
with  legal  knowledge,  and  a  profitable  clientage  was  soon  drawn 
to  him.  Judge  Hall  was  not  only  ever  grateful  to  those  who  had 
befriended  him  in  his  early  struggles,  but  it  is  said  that  he  never 
lost  an  opportunity  to  favor  their  descendants  in  after  years  when 
occasions  offered. 

It  was  in  1800  that  Judge  Hall  took  his  seat  on  the  Superior 
Court  Bench,  and  he  remained  theron  until  1818,  when  the  Su- 
preme Court  was  established.  Then  he  became  one  of  the  Justices 
of  that  tribunal. 

Judge  Hall  was  distinguished  as  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Fraternity,  and  belonged  to  Johnston-Caswell  Lodge  No.  10  at 
Warrenton.  He  was  Senior  Grand  Warden  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
from  December  18,  1802,  till  December  12,  1805,  and  Grand 
Master  from  December  12,  1805,  till  December  16,  1808. 

It  was  January  i,  1818,  that  the  Supreme  Court  was  organized, 
John  Louis  Taylor  being  Chief- Justice,  with  Leonard  Henderson 
and  John  Hall  as  Associate- Justices.  This  court  first  sat  for  the 
dispatch  of  business  on  January  i,  18 19.  Hall  remained  on  the 
bench  imtil  December,  1832,  when  he  sent  in  his  resignation  on 
account  of  ill-health.  In  1829,  while  still  a  member  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  Presidential  Electors  from 
North  Carolina.  Though  the  station  he  occupied  prevented  his 
active  participation  in  the  campaigns  of  that  day,  he  was  a  pro- 
nounced Democrat  of  the  Jeffersonian  school. 

This  sketch  is  largely  drawn  from  an  account  of  Judge  Hall 


JOHN  HALL  119 


written  by  William  Eaton,  Jr.,  and  published  (with  portrait)  in 
the  North  Carolina  University  Magazine  for  April,  i860.  Of  the 
religious  views  of  Judge  Hall,  Mr.  Eaton  said: 

"He  did  not  become  a  professor  of  religion  until  a  few  months  before 
he  died,  although  he  had  at  all  times  great  respect  for  it.  His  early 
predilections  were  in  favor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  but  he  finally 
joined  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  sacrament  was  administered  to  him 
in  his  own  chamber  shortly  before  his  death  by  the  Reverend  Joseph  H. 
Saunders,  then  rector  of  Emmanuel  Church  at  Warrenton,  who  removed 
to  Florida  a  few.  years  afterwards  and  died  there." 

An  oil  portrait  of  Judge  Hall  adorns  the  Supreme  Court 
Chamber  at  Raleigh,  and  another  is  owned  by  the  Masonic  Grand 
Lodge  of  North  Carolina. 

The  death  of  Judge  Hall  occurred  on  the  29th  of  January,  1833. 
We  copy  the  following  obituary  notice  of  him  from  the  Star,  a 
paper  published  in  Raleigh : 

"Died,  at  his  residence  in  Warrenton,  on  Tuesday,  the  29th  ult.,  the 
Honorable  John  Hall,  for  many  years  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  and,  since  its  organization,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Thus  has  the  cruel  and  ungovernable  disease  of  cancer  of  the  throat, 
after  a  lingering  progress  of  twelve  months,  at  length  destroyed  one  of 
the  best  and  purest  men  that  ever  adorned  humanity.  Judge  Hall  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  but  for  the  last  forty  years  had  been  a  resident  of 
Warrenton.  Of  the  sternest  and  most  scrupulous  integrity,  of  the  most 
unaffected  simplicity  of  manners  and  feeling,  possessing — 

**A   heart    where    rich    benevolence   was    found. 

That  beat  not  for  itself  alone. 
But  shed  its  warmth  on  all  around," 

it  may  well  be  imagined  that  as  living  he  was  universally  beloved,  so  in 
death  he  was  sincerely  lamented  by  all.  But  it  is  not  as  a  private  individual 
only  that  we  deplore  his  loss — the  State,  the  country,  has  been  deprived 
of  a  useful,  a  valuable  man.  Judge  Hall,  when  he  lately  tendered  his 
resignation  as  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  had  occupied  a  seat  on  the 
bench  for  upwards  of  twenty  years.  During  the  whole  time  he  gave  the 
most  entire  satisfaction.  Indeed,  in  all  the  essential  qualities  of  a  good 
Judge,  in  untiring  patience,  accurate  intelligence,  and  incorruptible  hon- 
esty of  purpose,  he  never  was  surpassed.  As  a  politician,  he  was  well 
informed,  frank,  faithful  and  firm.  In  a  word,  in  all  the  varied  relations 
of  life  he  was  'an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no  guile.*     Let 


I20  NORTH  CAROLINA 

not,  then,  his  amiable  family  indulge  in  useless  sorrows  for  their  loss — let 
them  repose  on  the  sympathy  of  a  whole  community — let  them  rest  on  the 
fair  fame  that  has  been  bequeathed  to  them — let  them  reflect  that  this,  at 
least,  not  even  can  time  affect,  but  that  it  will  prove  a  'monument  more 
lasting  than  brass.'  ** 

On  January  31st,  when  news  of  the  death  of  Judge  Hall  reached 
Raleigh,  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Bench  and  Bar  was  held  in  honor 
of  his  memory.  Over  this  meeting  Chief  Justice  Leonard  Hen- 
derson presided,  and  William  H.  Haywood,  Jr.,  afterwards  United 
States  Senator,  acted  as  Secretary.  The  following  series  of  res- 
olutions, offered  by  the  Honorable  William  Gaston,  was  adopted 
on  this  occasion : 

"Resolved:  That  the  intelligence  which  has  just  been  received  of  the 
death  of  the  Honorable  John  Hall,  lately  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  North  Carolina,  requires  of  us  an  expression  of  the  sense  we  entertain 
of  the  merits  of  the  deceased,  and  the  regret  we  feel  for  his  removal  from 
among  us. 

"Resolved:  That  the  able,  faithful  and  devoted  services  which  the 
deceased  rendered  to  the  community  during  the  thirty-two  years  in  which 
he  has  acted  as  a  Judge  of  the  Superior  and  Supreme  Courts  of  the  State 
entitle  his  memory  to  our  highest  respect,  while  his  private  virtues  com- 
mand for  his  name  a  firm  place  in  our  affections. 

"Resolved:  That,  in  testimony  of  this  respect  and  affection,  we  will 
wear  the  usual  badge  of  mourning  for  thirty  days." 

Judge  Hall's  wife  was  Mary  Weldon,  daughter  of  William 
Weldon,  and  granddaughter  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel  Wel- 
don, an  officer  of  North  Carolina  Militia  during  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  By  her  he  left  a  large  number  of  children,  and  has 
numerous  descendants  now  living.  Judge  Edward  Hall,  one  of 
the  sons  of  Judge  John  Hall,  occupied  a  seat  on  the  Superior 
Court  Bench  in  1840-41. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood, 


JOHN  HAMILTON 

HEN  the  last  formidable  force  raised  by  the 
Royal  House  of  Stuart  was  swept  away  in  the 
carnage  of  CuUoden,  many  Jacobites,  who  had 
the  good  fortune  to  escape  the  battle  and  the 
axe  of  the  executioner,  began  life  anew  in 
America.  Of  this  number  was  John  Hamil- 
ton, a  mere  youth  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  which  occurred  on  the 
i6th  of  April,  1746.  At  what  time  Hamilton  came  to  North  Caro- 
lina is  not  known.  He  was  a  merchant  in  Halifax  when  the 
troubles  with  Great  Britain  began,  and  during  the  succeeding 
war  was  a  devoted  adherent  of  King  George. 

In  Halifax,  where  Hamilton  lived,  he  had  for  his  friends  and 
neighbors  such  men  as  Willie  Jones,  Thomas  Eaton,  and  other 
fiery  Whigs,  and  it  took  no  small  amount  of  courage  to  stand 
forth  for  the  cause  of  King  and  Parliament  amid  such  sur- 
roundings. 

Some  time  after  the  great  American  victory  at  Moore's  Creek 
Bridge,  North  Carolina,  on  the  27th  of  February,  1776,  Hamil- 
ton (who  was  probably  not  in  that  action)  gathered  together  as 
many  of  the  demoralized  Loyalists  as  could  be  induced  to  join  the 
King's  standard,  and  repaired  to  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  where 
he  drilled  his  recruits  and  organized  them  into  a  formidable  regi- 
ment. 
The  chief  scenes  of  Hamilton's  military  activities  in  1779  and 


122  NORTH  CAROLINA 

1780  were  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  He  held  a  command 
at  the  Battle  of  Kettle  Creek,  Georgia,  on  the  14th  of  February, 
1779,  when  the  British  were  defeated ;  but  a  short  while  thereafter 
(March  3d)  was  at  Briar  Creek,  Georgia,  where  his  side 
triumphed ;  later,  on  June  20th,  he  materially  aided  in  the  victory 
of  the  Royal  forces  at  the  Battle  of  Stono.  In  the  Fall  of 
1779  he  was  at  the  siege  of  Savannah.  He  joined  the  army  under 
Sir  Henry  Qinton  in  South  Carolina  in  March,  1780;  and,  on 
the  27th  of  that  month,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  cavalry  forces 
of  Colonel  William  Washington.  In  recounting  this  occurrence, 
the  South  Carolina  historian,  McCrady,  observes :  "Colonel  Ham- 
ilton, of  whom  we  have  before  spoken,  was  a  valuable  prize,  but 
Washington  was  hunting  for  much  bigger  game,  and  came  near 
capturing  Sir  Henry  Clinton  himself." 

After  being  made  a  prisoner  Colonel  Hamilton  was  taken  to 
Charleston,  but  his  captivity  was  of  short  duration;  for,  on  the 
1 2th  of  May,  1780,  the  American  garrison  there  surrendered  to 
Sir  Henry  Clinton.  During  the  British  occupation  which  fol- 
lowed Hamilton  was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  promote  the 
comfort  of  American  prisoners — especially  his  old  friends  from 
North  Carolina — and  thereby  increased  the  respect  in  which  he 
had  always  been  held  by  the  Whigs. 

In  the  Spring  of  1780,  the  Americans  being  apparently  over- 
awed by  the  great  forces  gathered  against  them  in  the  South, 
James  Moore,  of  Lincoln  County,  North  Carolina,  returned  to 
his  old  home  and  announced  himself  a  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
Hamilton's  regiment,  and  that  he  was  sent  into  North  Carolina 
to  raise  the  King's  standard.  He  ordered  a  rendezvous  of  the 
Loyalists;  but  on  news  of  this  reaching  the  Whigs  a  force  of 
the  latter  was  gathered,  and  at  the  Battle  of  Ramseur's  Mill  (June 
20,  1780)  the  Tories  were  defeated  and  scattered. 

At  the  Battle  of  Hanging  Rock,  South  Carolina,  on  the  6th 
of  August,  1780,  Colonel  Hamilton  was  present,  and  he  also  aided 
in  gaining  the  great  British  victory  at  Camden  ten  days  later. 

Hamilton  was  with  Cornwallis  on  his  march  through  North 
Carolina,  was  present  at  the  Battle  of  Guilford    Court    House 


JOHN  HAMILTON  123 

(March  15,  1781),  and  his  military  career  probably  ended  with 
the  surrender  of  Comwallis  at  Yorktown.  He  was  in  St.  Augus- 
tine, Florida,  in  the  Fall  of  1783,  and  in  London  in  the  Spring  of 

1785. 

During  the  course  of  the  war  some  of  the  hardest  fighting  done 
by  Hamilton's  regiment  was  when  it  was  pitted  against  troops 
from  North  Carolina;  and  the  latter  were  often  commanded  by 
former  friends.  At  the  Battle  of  Briar  Creek,  where  the  Ameri- 
cans were  routed,  Thomas  Eaton  was  one  of  those  who  fled  for 
life.  Speaking  of  Eaton,  McRee,  in  his  biography  of  Iredell, 
says: 

"He  had  a  very  small  foot  and  wore  a  boot  of  unusual  finish  and  neat- 
ness. In  the  haste  of  his  flight,  he  left  his  boots  behind.  They  were 
recognized  and  purchased  of  a  soldier  by  John  Hamilton,  who  afterwards* 
commanded  a  regiment  of  Loyalists  in  the  British  service.  After  the  war, 
at  a  dinner  party  at  Willie  Jones's,  Hamilton,  with  some  good-natured 
raillery,  produced  the  boots  and  passed  them  to  their  former  owner,  who, 
greatly  incensed,  threw  them  across  the  table  at  Hamilton's  head." 

Hamilton's  estates  in  North  Carolina  were  confiscated  during 
the  war  along  with  those  of  many  other  Loyalists. 

As  a  reward  for  his  fidelity  to  King  George,  Colonel  Hamilton 
was  appointed  Consul  at  Norfolk,  in  Virginia,  and  there  he  re- 
mained for  some  years.  The  great  poet,  Thomas  Moor^,  visited 
him  there  during  a  tour  through  America.  In  a  note  on  a  piece 
of  verse  entitled  "To  George  Morgan,  Esq.,  of  Norfolk,  Virginia," 
who  served  in  the  consulate  under  Hamilton,  Moore  says : 

"The  consul  himself.  Colonel  Hamilton,  is  among  the  very  few  in- 
stances of  a  man  ardently  loyal  to  his  King,  and  yet  beloved  by  the  Ameri- 
cans. His  house  is  the  very  temple  of  hospitality;  and  I  sincerely  pity 
the  heart  of  that  stranger  who,  warm  from  the  welcome  of  such  a  board, 
could  sit  down  and  write  a  libel  on  his  host,  in  the  true  spirit  of  a  modern 
philosophist.  See  the  'Travels  of  the  Duke  de  la  Rochefoucault-Lian- 
court,'  Vol.  n." 

Colonel  Hamilton  did  not  remain  in  Norfolk  permanently,  but 
finally  returned  to  Great  Britain.  In  his  work  on  American  Loyal- 
ists, Sabine  says  that  Hamilton  died  in  England  in  1 817  at  a  very 
advanced  age.  Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


GUSHING  BIGGS  HASSELL 

rUSHING  BIGGS  HASSELL  was  born  near 
Williamston,  in  Martin  County,  North  Caro- 
lina, on  the  14th  day  of  October,  1808.  His 
father,  John  N.  Hassell,  was  an  honest  and 
hospitable  man.  His  death  occurred  in  the 
year  1824.  He  left  no  property.  His  wife, 
Monha  Biggs,  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  sagacity,  energy 
and  decision  of  character.  For  the  thirty  years  prior  to  her 
death  she  was  confined  to  her  bed  with  severe  rheumatism.  In 
this  affliction  she  displayed  wonderful  resignation  and  cheer- 
fulness. She  was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Primitive  Baptist 
Church. 

During  the  life  of  his  father  Gushing  Biggs  Hassell  attended 
the  neighborhood  schools  at  irregular  intervals.  Here  he  im- 
bibed a  thirst  for  knowledge  and  acquired  habits  of  thoughtfulness 
and  studiousness  that  became  the  ruling  factor  in  his  life.  During 
his  idle  hours  as  a  merchant  he  pursued  his  studies  in  the  classical 
languages.  "While  at  school  he  was  noted  above  his  fellows  for 
aptness  at  learning,  steady  moral  habits,  and  serious  disposition. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  into  some  excellent  resolutions, 
to  which  he  steadfastly  adhered  through  life — ^to  wit :  To  abstain 
from  the  use  of  liquor  and  tobacco;  not  to  indulge  in  profanity 
or  gaming ;  and  to  be  strictly  honest,  truthful  and  upright  in  all 
his  dealings." 


\ 


\ 


.    \  ^  V  i 


■?    ! 


^f'uf  :     Vm-,  A'l-ci^ti  P-.b^;' 


GUSHING  BIGGS  HASSELL  125 

Before  attaining  his  majority  he  entered  upon  a  mercantile 
career  which  he  followed  until  his  death.  His  business  was  large 
and  generally  prosperous.  He  was  an  indulgent  creditor.  He 
said  that  in  this  way  he  helped  many  needy  persons.  He  preferred 
to  suffer  these  losses  "rather  than  grind  the  faces  of  the  poor." 
At  his  death  he  left  a  comfortable  fortune  for  his  family.  He  was 
twice  married.  In  1832  he  married  Mary  Davis,  who  bore  him 
seven  children  and  died  in  1846.  Three  years  afterward  he  mar- 
ried Martha  Maria  Jewett,  widow  of  Elder  Daniel  E.  Jewett,  of 
Warwich,  New  York.    She  bore  him  four  children. 

To  illustrate  his  usefulness  as  a  citizen,  it  may  be  stated  that 
he  energetically  and  successfully  filled  the  following  positions 
of  usefulness  and  honor:  Trustee  of  the  University  of  North 
Carolina,  trustee  of  Williamston  Academy,  founder,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  Williamston  Library  Association ;  Clerk  and  Master 
in  Equity  of  Martin  County ;  Treasurer  of  Martin  County ;  Presi- 
dent of  the  Roanoke  Steam  Navigation  Company ;  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1861  and  also  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1875.  These  important  positions  show  the  versa- 
tility of  his  usefulness.  When  first  elected  treasurer  of  Martin 
County  only  four  votes  were  cast  against  him.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and  in  the  struggle  of  his  party  to  redeem  the  State 
in  1875  ^^  exerted  all  his  great  power  of  mind  and  body.  As  a 
campaign  speaker  he  was  eloquent  and  convincing.  His  state- 
ments on  public  questions  were  not  questioned  by  his  opponents. 
But  his  great  services  to  his  community,  county  and  State  in  sec- 
ular matters  were  all  overshadowed  by  his  work  in  the  ministry- 
of  his  church. 

In  the  Winter  of  1827-28  he  felt  himself  arrested  by  some  super- 
natural power.  It  is  told  by  his  son  in  an  excellent  sketch 
that  he  was  first  a  religious  skeptic,  and  read  the  Bible  simply 
to  demonstrate  its  inconsistencies  and  seeming  absurdities.  That 
Winter  was  a  time  of  imusual  religious  excitement  in  his  com- 
munity. He  tried  to  hide  his  broken  heart  from  the  world.  He 
fled  to  the  law  for  refuge  and  safety,  and  resolved  to  live  a  still 
more  moral  life.    These  things  were  but  dross,  and  bowing  low 


126  NORTH  CAROLINA 

to  the  stroke  of  the  Master,  on  January  13,  1828,  he  arose  a  be- 
liever in  His  mercy  and  goodness  and  power.  Then  and  there 
he  felt  the  burden  of  sin  removed  and  he  experienced  a  sensation 
of  joy  unspeakable.  He  was  then  living  in  Halifax.  There  was 
no  Baptist  Church  there.  He  was  deeply  impressed  with  his  duty 
to  be  baptized.  In  March  of  that  year  he  went  to  Williamston 
and  was  baptized  by  Elder  Joseph  Biggs  and  by  him  received 
into  the  fellowship  of  Skewarky  Church.  The  great  doctrines 
of  that  faith — election,  total  depravity,  particular  redemption,  ef- 
fectual calling,  and  final  preservation  of  the  saints — were  at  an  early 
period  firmly  settled  in  his  mind.  In  1833  he  was  chosen  a  deacon 
of  Skewarky  Church.  In  that  year  General  William  Clark,  a 
man  of  wealth  and  talents  and  a  minister  of  one  of  the  churches 
of  the  Kehukee  Association,  withdrew  from  her  communion  and 
wrote  a  pamphlet  defamatory  of  that  body.  Mr.  Hassell  replied 
in  a  pamphlet  of  sixty  pages  which  the  association  adopted  and 
circulated.  The  reply  was  crushing.  Clark  was  silenced  and  went 
to  the  Southwest  in  new  fields  of  labor. 

For  many  years  he  was  an  active  worker  in  prayer  meetings 
and  church  conferences.  In  1840  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
in  1842  a  presbytery  composed  of  Elders  James  Osborn,  Joseph 
Biggs,  and  William  Whitaker  ordained  him.  His  first  pastorates 
were  at  Skewarky  and  Spring  Green  churches.  In  1859  he  was 
chosen  Moderator  of  the  Kehukee  Association,  and  to  this  honor- 
able and  responsible  office  he  was  annually  re-elected  until  his 
death.  For  the  first  ten  years  of  his  ministry  he  received  no  dona- 
tions from  any  one ;  but  he  then  concluded  that  for  the  donors  and 
himself  such  a  course  was  wrong,  and  during  the  last  thirty  years 
of  his  life  he  received  from  marriage  fees  and  preachmg  an 
average  of  less  than  a  hundred  dollars  a  year — an  amount  barely 
sufficient  to  defray  his  actual  traveling  expenses.  He  did  not 
labor  in  his  Master's  vineyard  for  earthly  reward.  His  own  dona- 
tions to  others  amounted  to  large  sums.  His  religious  life  was 
lived  in  his  family,  and  at  its  altar  daily  morning  and  evening 
prayers  were  said,  after  Scripture  reading  and  the  singing  of  a 
hymn.    He  sang  well  and  taught  his  children  to  sing.    Each  Sab- 


GUSHING  BIGGS  HASSELL  127 

bath  morning  after  prayers  it  was  the  custom  to  instruct  his  chil- 
dren in  Scripture  history  and  the  plan  of  salvation. 

For  years  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church  of  his  community  held 
prayer  meetings  at  each  other's  homes  every  Sunday  night.  After 
the  war  all  these  meetings  were  held  at  his  home. 

Few  excelled  him  in  extemporaneous  oratory.  All  the  ser- 
mons were  preached  without  written  preparation  and  frequently 
without  moments  for  forethought.  He  said  he  preferred  to  search 
the  Scriptures  before  preaching.  In  order  and  method,  in  neatness 
and  cleanliness  of  person  and  attire,  in  self-control  and  evenness 
of  temper,  in  untiring  industry,  he  had  few  equals.  He  wrote  his 
autobiography  up  to  the  year  1847,  ^"d  kept  a  diary  of  his  life 
ever  afterward.  He  recorded  in  blank  books,  with  interesting 
particulars,  all  his  ordinations,  baptisms,  texts,  marriages,  and 
the  donations  made  to  him.  He  rarely  retired  before  midnight 
and  almost  invariably  arose  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He 
frequently  said  he  would  rather  wear  out  than  rust  out,  and  that 
he  wished  to  live  so  that  he  would  be  missed  when  he  was  gone. 
He  was  appointed  in  1876  by  the  Kehukee  Association  to  write  a 
history  of  that  body  and  of  the  Church  of  God  from  the  creation 
to  the  present  time.  He  devoted  most  of  the  year  1879  ^^  this 
work.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  completed  the  history  of 
the  Kehukee  Association  and  of  the  churches  composing  it,  a 
statistical  table  of  all  the  old  school  Baptist  associations  in 
America,  a  series  of  articles  on  the  distinctive  tenets  and  practices 
of  his  denomination  and  a  history  of  the  church  for  4300  years — 
from  the  creation  to  the  year  A.D.  350.  This  was  the  crowning 
work  of  his  life  and  it  sapped  his  strength.  He  felt  that  his  time 
was  s/hort.  He  preached  in  his  favorite  pulpit — Skewarky — for 
the  last  time  on  February  8,  1880.  His  last  discourse  was  the  in- 
troductory sermon  at  the  meeting  of  Skewarky  Union  meeting 
at  Conoho,  February  27,  1880.  The  next  day  his  fatal  illness 
seized  him.  In  all  those  hours  he  exhibited  no  anxiety  about  the 
future  state.  Not  a  cloud  dimmed  his  prospect  for  a  blessed  im- 
mortality. A  little  while  before  he  died  he  said :  "I  am  passing  to 
a  better  world.    I  am  going  from  the  land  of  the  dying  to  the  land 


128  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  the  living."  For  almost  every  one  that  called  to  see  him  he  had 
some  special  message  and  heavenly  advice.  When  quite  restless 
and  tossing  about,  toward  twelve  o'clock  Saturday  night,  April 
loth,  he  was  asked  if  he  wanted  anything,  and  he  said,  "Nothing 
in  the  world.''  A  little  after  midnight,  just  as  the  Sunday  was 
coming  in,  without  a  struggle  he  died.  A  placid  and  heavenly 
smile  rested  upon  his  countenance,  and  he  was  at  peace. 

Every  store  and  shop  of  his  town  was  closed  at  his  burial,  such 
was  the  universal  esteem  and  love  in  which  he  was  held  by  all 
classes. 

Gushing  Biggs  Hassell  was  a  strong  man,  in  mind,  in  body,  in 
character,  in  love  and  in  tenderness.  He  added  to  the  sum  of 
human  happiness.  His  was  a  simple  life.  Hear  his  words  on 
his  death-bed:  "Bury  me  in  a  plain  wooden  coffin,  and  without 
display,  or  ceremony,  or  preaching,  in  the  simple  manner  of  the 
Apostolic  age.  I  have  never  engaged  in  funeral  preaching.  Just 
let  my  friends  gather  in  silence  around  when  my  body  is  deposited 
in  its  last  resting-place.  Bury  me  at  Skewarky  by  the  side  of 
my  children." 

F.  D,  Winston. 


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SYLVESTER   HASSELL 


JLDER  SYLVESTER  HASSELL  was  born  in 
Williamston,  Martin  County,  North  Carolina, 
July  28,  1842.  He  was  the  son  of  Elder  Cush- 
ing  Biggs  Hassell  and  Mary  (Davis)  Hassell, 
daughter  of  Colonel  Durham  Davis.  His 
paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  were  English, 
the  former  coming  to  Tyrrell  County,  North  Carolina,  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  and  the  latter  coming  during  the  same  century  to 
Virginia.  When  he  was  four  years  old  his  mother  died,  and  three 
years  afterward  his  father  was  married  to  Mrs.  Martha  M. 
Jewett,  of  New  Hampshire,  widow  of  Elder  D.  E.  Jewett,  of  New 
York.  At  the  age  of  seven  he  was  left  to  her  care,  and  for  forty- 
eight  years  she  exercised  her  kind  and  motherly  influence  over 
him.  He  says  of  her :  "She  was  the  most  spiritual-minded  person 
I  ever  knew,  and  her  teaching  was  a  powerful  inspiration  to  me, 
and  her  influence  particularly  strong  on  my  moral  life."  In  chil- 
hood  he  was  healthy,  but  in  youth  he  was  frail  and  delicate.  A 
great  fondness  for  reading  and  much  interest  in  religion  were 
manifested  early  in  life.  He  was  very  moral  in  his  habits,  having 
the  noble  example  of  his  learned  and  pious  father,  who  held  in 
his  family  religious  services  twice  each  day,  morning  and  evening. 
Early  in  life  he  sought  to  improve  the  excellent  advantages 
given  him  by  his  father  for  acquiring  an  education.  Entering 
the  academy  at  Williamston,  his  home  school,  he  was  prepared  for 


I30  NORTH  CAROLINA 

the  University  of  North  Carolina.  He  matriculated  at  that  in- 
stitution July,  1858,  and  remained  there  until  August,  1861,  when, 
on  the  fall  of  the  forts  at  Cape  Hatteras,  he  returned  home  to  as- 
sist his  father  in  his  business.  At  the  University  he  received  first 
distinction,  leading  his  class  from  the  time  he  entered.  At  the 
commencement  of  1867  the  degree  of  A.M.  was  conferred  on  him 
by  the  University — it  was  then  an  honorary  degree.  In  July, 
1889,  he  was  called  back  to  his  Alma  Mater  to  deliver  illustrated 
lectures  on  astronomy  at  the  Summer  Normal  School. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
in  very  low  health.  He  was  examined  by  a  recruiting  officer  and 
exempted  for  physical  disability.  During  the  war  he  was  similarly 
examined  six  times,  and  each  time  he  was  declared  incapacitated 
for  service  by  reason  of  an  affection  of  the  lungs  and  throat  which 
continued  for  a  year  after  the  close  of  the  war.  Notwithstanding 
the  extremely  low  state  of  his  health,  he  served  in  the  Winter  of 
1862  as  Secretary  of  Colonel  Samuel  Watts  of  the  Martin  County 
Militia,  at  Fort  Hill,  near  Washington,  North  Carolina,  for  three 
weeks,  until  the  disbanding  of  the  regiment  at  the  fall  of  Roanoke 
Island.  During  the  remainder  of  the  war  he  taught  his  younger 
brothers  and  sisters  when  he  was  physically  able.  An  older 
brother,  Theodore  Hassell,  was  lieutenant  of  Company  A,  Seven- 
teenth Regiment  and  later  Ordnance  Officer  of  the  Brigade  and 
member  of  General  Martin's  staff.  Lieutenant  Hassell  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Kinston,  March,  1865. 

After  the  fall  of  Roanoke  Island,  February  8,  1862,  the  people 
of  this  section  were  subject  to  continued  raids  of  Federal  troops, 
both  by  cavalry  and  marines  on  land  and  gunboats  coming  up  the 
Roanoke  River.  At  one  time  these  gunboats  bombarded  Wil- 
liamston  seventeen  hours  because  of  a  few  Confederate  soldiers 
who  had  been  seen  in  their  retreat  up  the  river;  the  finest  resi- 
dence in  town  was  burned  by  hot  shot,  and  Elder  C.  B.  Hassell*s 
house  was  pierced  by  the  fragment  of  a  bomb.  At  another  time, 
November,  1862,  an  army  of  10,000  men,  under  General  J.  G. 
Foster,  marched  from  Washington,  North  Carolina,  through  Wil- 
liamston  to  the  vicinity  of  Tarboro,  and  then  returned  to  Wash- 


SYLVESTER  HASSELL      •  131 

ington.  In  their  raid  they  plundered,  shipped  North,  gave  away, 
or  destroyed  all  the  goods  of  the  merchants  in  Williamston — ^as 
they  did  in  other  towns  in  their  path — and  almost  every  other 
portable  article  of  value.  At  yet  another  time  a  company  of  raid- 
ers brought  light  wood  to  burn  the  home  of  Elder  C.  B.  Hassell 
because  he  was  a  friend  of  the  Confederacy,  but  they  were  calmly 
dissuaded  by  him.  from  doing  so. 

Elder  Sylvester  Hassell  began  his  chosen  profession — teaching 
— ^as  principal  of  the  Williamston  Academy,  where  he  remained 
from  1865  to  1868.  In  1869  he  went  to  the  State  Normal  College 
of  Delaware  to  fill  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages.  While  living 
in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  he  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Mary 
Isabella  Garrell,  daughter  of  Julius  S.  Garrell,  of  Martin  County, 
North  Carolina.  He  taught  there  and  at  New  Castle,  Delaware, 
until  the  last  sickness  and  death  of  his  wife  in  1871,  and  resigned 
the  principalship  of  the  New  Castle  Graded  School  to  rest  a  while 
and  then  teach  in  Wilson,  North  Carolina.  Of  this  marriage  one 
son,  Paul,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  was  bom.  In  1872  he  es^ 
tablished  the  Wilson  Collegiate  Institute,  at  Wilson,  North  Caro- 
lina. For  fourteen  years  he  successfully  managed  this  school. 
On  May  3,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Louisa  Wood- 
ard,  daughter  of  Calvin  Woodard,  of  Wilson  County.  There 
were  born  to  them  seven  children,  four  of  whom,  Francis,  Charles, 
Mary,  and  Calvin,  are  now  living.  His  wife  died  in  January, 
1889.  It  was  while  living  at  Wilson  that  his  father,  Elder  Gush- 
ing Biggs  Hassell,  was  appointed  by  the  Kehukee  Primitive 
Baptist  Association  (in  1876)  to  prepare  its  third  history,  and  to 
combine  with  it  a  history  of  the  Church  from  the  creation.  The 
general  history  of  the  Church  Elder  C.  B.  Hassell  requested  his 
son,  Elder  Sylvester  Hassell,  to  write.  Accordingly  the  latter 
purchased  the  most  valuable  church  histories  published  in  Europe 
and  America  for  this  purpose.  He  did  not  have  time  for  this  work, 
as  he  had  six  or  seven  teachers  and  a  large  school.  His  father, 
who  had  retired  from  business,  consequently  undertook  the  whole 
work.  For  three  years  Elder  C.  B.  Hassell  labored  at  his  task. 
On  his  death  in  1880  he  committed  his  manuscript  to  his  son  to 


132  NORTH  CAROLINA 

complete  the  work.  He  at  once  set  about  the  task,  which  was  a 
great  and  laborious  one,  and  devoted  his  great  talents  and  almost 
his  entire  time  for  six  years  to  the  completion  and  revisal  of  the 
history,  bringing  it  down  to  A.D.  1885.  A  close  student  and  a 
finished  scholar,  he  gave  the  very  highest  authorities  where  there 
was  any  question  as  to  the  position  he  was  taking.  At  times,  in 
deciding  upon  some  particular  point,  he  frequently  had  open  be- 
fore him  twenty  authorities  of  the  highest  character.  On  com- 
pleting this  monumental  work  in  1886,  he  gave  up  the  school  at' 
Wilson  and  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Williamston,  North  Caro- 
lina, to  become  again  principal  of  the  academy  there  and  to  serve 
the  church  near  that  place,  of  which  he  was  a  member  and  pastor. 
The  history  was  published  by  Gilbert  Beebe's  sons,  Middletown, 
New  York,  in  1886,  in  a  closely  printed  octavo  volume  of  1032 
pages,  with  a  very  copious  Table  of  Contents  and  Alphabetical 
Index. 

There  had  been  two  other  histories  of  the  Kehukee  Association, 
one  by  Elders  Burkett  and  Read,  published  in  1803,  and  one  by 
Elder  Joseph  Biggs,  father  of  Judge,  and  afterwards  United 
States  Senator,  Asa  Biggs,  and  published  in  1834.  These  were 
confined  chiefly  to  the  association,  and  did  not  purport  to  be  his- 
tories of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  "Church  History"  of  Elders  C.  B.  and  S.  Hassell  contains 
succinctly  an  account  of  all  the  leading  religions  of  the  world  and 
of  all  denominations  of  Christianity,  and  states  substantially  the 
fair  and  full  truths  as  found  by  the  authors,  irrespective  of  the 
creeds  of  their  Church  or  any  other  Church.  They  endeavored  to 
write  a  non-sectarian  history.  The  work  passed  through  two 
editions,  and  a  third  edition  is  much  in  demand.  It  is  a  candid, 
faithful,  truthful,  and  scriptural  "History  of  the  Church  of  God 
from  the  Creation"  to  A.D.  1885. 

After  returning  to  his  home,  Williamston,  and  teaching  there 
from  1886  to  1890,  he,  by  reason  of  failing  health,  discontinued 
teaching  and  traveled  and  visited  churches  in  several  States. 

We  have  thus  far  given  his  history,  and  an  account  of  his  nat- 
ural services  to  his  fellow-men.    By  far  the  greater  and  better  part 


SYLVESTER  HASSELL  133 

of  his  great  and,  useful  life  has  been  spent  in  his  unselfish  service 
to  his  God  and  the  churches,  in  writing  and  preaching.  Before 
proceeding  further,  it  may  be  well  to  say  just  a  word  about  the 
Church  with  which  he  has  been  allied. 

Before,  during  and  since  the  war  between  the  States  there  was 
and  has  been  and  is  a  wonderful  unity  of  belief  and  affection  be- 
tween Old  School  or  Primitive  Baptists,  North,  South,  East  and 
West,  though  of  course  there  are  some  differences  of  expression 
and  forms  among  some  of  them.  The  ministers  are  often  led  (as 
they  believe  of  the  Divine  Spirit)  to  visit  distant  counties  and 
States  and  sometimes  other  nations  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God,  and  they  are  kindly  received  and  treated,  and  the 
God  of  Providence  sustains  them  and  their  families  in  these  labors 
without  the  aid  of  any  human  societies.  While  the  most  of  the 
churches  do  not  have  any  large  increase  at  any  one  time,  still  their 
numbers  gradually  increase  with  the  population  of  the  country. 
In  1892  Elder  Hassell  became  associate  editor  of  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger— a  monthly  religious  magazine  founded  in  1878,  and  at 
the  time  owned  and  published  by  Elder  J.  R.  Respass,  of  Butler, 
Georgia.  After  the  death  of  Elder  Respess  in  1895,  he  purchased 
the  paper  in  1896,  and  has  continued  its  owner  and  editor-in-chief 
until  the  present  time.  It  is  now  published  in  Williamston,  North 
Carolina,  and  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  defense  and  the  dissemina- 
tion of  the  doctrine  atid  truths  of  the  Word  of  God.  There  are 
four  editors  associated  with  him  in  the  work,  Elders  J.  G.  W. 
Henderson  and  S.  W.  Stewart,  of  Alabama,  Lee  Hanks,  of 
Georgia,  and  J.  H.  Oliphant,  of  Indiana.  The  paper's  circula- 
tion extends  to  twenty-six  States  and  Canada. 

Elder  Hassell  is  an  accomplished  linguist.  He  has  been  a  stu- 
dent all  his  life.  His  fine  library  of  about  3000  volumes,  which 
he  has  been  many  years  collecting,  is  the  library  of  a  scholar  and 
theologian.  Most  of  his  fellow-ministers  know  only  the  English 
language  and  have  had  very  limited  educations  (though  there 
are  a  few  very  highly  educated)  and  have  few  books  besides 
their  Bibles  and  hymn-books,  yet  they  are  well  acquainted  with 
the  spirit  and  letter  of  the  Word  of  God.    All  the  ministers   of 


134  NORTH  CAROLINA 

the  Primitive  Baptist  Church  serve  their  churches  without  any 
charge  or  stipulated  salary. 

Elder  Hassell  has  never  been  a  member  of  any  moral  or  re- 
ligious order  or  society  other  than  his  Church.  His  just  convic- 
tions of  a  religious  nature  began  when  young ;  and  as  he  was  ar- 
rested by  supernatural  power  and  shown  the  deep  depravity  of 
his  carnal  nature,  he  fled  first  to  the  Law  and  then  to  the  Cross 
for  mercy,  and  found  peace  and  pardon  in  the  atoning  blood  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  received  the  evidence  that  his  sins  were 
forgiven  August  17,  1863,  and  joined  the  Church  at  Skewarky, 
near  Williamston,  January  7,  1864.  He  began  his  labors  in  the 
ministry  December  10,  1871,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  and  was 
regularly  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  August 
9,  1874,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  his  father  and  Elders  David 
House  and  William  Whitaker.  He  has  had  the  pastoral  care  of 
his  home  church,  Skewarky,  since  1881.  Besides,  he  has  labored 
extensively  in  his  own  State  and  Virginia,  West  Virginia,  South 
Carolina,  Tennessee,  Georgia,  Alabama,  Texas,  Florida,  Louisi- 
ana, Kentucky,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  Massa- 
chusetts and  Canada.  He  has  been  the  Moderator  of  the  Ke- 
hukee  Association — the  oldest  Primitive  Baptist  Association  in  the 
United  States,  having  been  formed  in  Halifax  County  in  1765 — 
almost  continuously  since  the  death  of  his  father,  and  has  recently 
been  chosen  by  that  body  as  their  permanent  presiding  officer. 
His  wise  and  timely  counsel  is  always  faithful  and  always  for 
peace  and  harmony.  He  is  still  laboring  with  tongue  and  pen  for 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  the  churches  and  his  fellow- 
man,  "speaking  the  truth  in  love"  and  publishing  the  glorious 
Gospel  of  Christ — "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest:  on  earth  peace 
and  good-will  to  men."  He  is  to-day  justly  regarded  by  many 
as  one  of  the  most  learned,  honest,  able,  and  truthful  expounders 
of  the  Word  of  God  now  living,  and  he  is  still  humbly  laboring 
for  the  cause  which  is  dearer  to  him  than  life  itself,  without  the 
promise  or  hope  of  any  earthly  reward,  but  with  the  desire  for  the 
triumph  of  truth,  and  with  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward 
God  and  man.  M.  L.  Lawrence. 


PHILEMON  HAWKINS,  SR. 


'HILEMON  HAWKINS,  first  of  his  name  to 
settle  in  North  Carolina,  resided  in  the  colonial 
county  of  Bute,  which  was  established  in  1764 
out  of  the  eastern  part  of  Granville  County  and 
which  was  divided  into  Warren  and  Franklin 
Counties  in  1779.  He  was  bom  in  Virginia 
on  the  28th  of  September,  171 7.  His  father  was  Philemon  Haw- 
kins, who  was  bom  in  England  in  1690,  and  emigrated  in  1715 
to  Virginia,  where  he  died  in  1725.  The  wife  of  this  founder  of 
the  family  in  America  (and  the  mother  of  Philemon  Hawkins, 
later  of  North  Carolina)  was  Ann  Eleanor  Howard.  The  Haw- 
kins family  claims  descent  from  the  renowned  Elizabethan  ad- 
miral and  explorer,  Sir  John  Hawkins. 

One  of  the  sons  of  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins  (subject  of  this 
sketch)  was  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.,  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
in  Warren  County,  North  Carolina.  In  a  ponderous  Family 
Bible,  formerly  owned  by  the  latter,  we  find  many  interesting 
items  about  the  subject  of  our  present  sketch  and  his  family's 
early  history  in  North  Carolina.  Following  are  some  of  the 
entries : 

"Philemon  Hawkins,  father  of  Philemon  Hawkins  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
was  bom  in  Virginia.  He  removed  to  the  mouth  of  Six  Pound  Creek  in 
North  Carolina ;  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  there.  He  was  an  extremely 
active  and  industrious-  man,  an  uncommonly  good  husband  and  father. 


136  NORTH  CAROLINA 

and  one  of  the  best  providers  for  a  family.  The  Creator  blessed  him  with 
a  great  share  of  chattels  and  wealth,  and  he  lived  to  be  nearly  eighty-four 
years  of  age.    He  departed  this  life  loth  day  of  September,  A.D.  1801." 

He  came  to  North  Carolina  in  his  young  manhood,  about  1737, 
and  settled  in  what  was  then  the  western  part  of.  Edgecombe 
County,  later  Granville,  afterwards  Bute,  and  later  still  Warren : 
being  among  the  first  to  settle  in  that  section. 

Concerning  the  wife  of  the  last-named  is  an  entry  in  the  above 
Family  Bible  which  gives  some  account  of  her  life  and  char- 
acteristics in  the  following  words: 

"Delia  Hawkins,  mother  of  Philemon  Hawkins  of  Pleasant  Hill,  de- 
parted this  life  the  20th  day  of  August,  A.D.  1794,  respected  and  esteemed 
by  all  her  acquaintances.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Zachariah  Martin,  a 
respectable  planter  and  native  of  Virginia.  She  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers upon  Six  Pound  Creek  in  North  Carolina,  where  her  husband,  Phile- 
mon Hawkins,  owned  a  mill.  The  country  was  then  a  wilderness,  which 
occasioned  corn  to  be  extremely  scarce;  and,  when  the  poorest  of  the 
people  came  with  their  corn  to  the  mill,  instead  of  taking  toll,  she  would 
add  to  their  morsel  and  have  it  ground  into  meal  gratis.  She  was  uni- 
versally kind  to  the  poor.  The  great  Creator  of  us  all  blessed  her  with  a 
great  share  of  health  and  wealth,  and  she  lived  to  be  seventy-three  years 
of  age." 

Next  after  the  above  entry  is  another  recording  the  death  of 
the  family's  most  distinguished  member,  who  was  a  son  of  Colonel 
Philemon  Hawkins,  subject  of  the  present  sketch.  This  was 
Colonel  Benjamin  Hawkins,  the  interpreter  of  French  on  the 
staff  of  General  Washington  during  the  Revolution,  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  United  States  Senator,  Agent  for  the 
Creek  Nation,  etc.,  who  spent  his  last  years  at  Fort  Hawkins, 
Georgia.    This  reads: 

"Colonel  Benjamin  Hawkins,  Agent  for  the  Creek  Indians,  departed 
this  life  on  the  6th  of  June,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  18 16,  in  the 
sixty-second  year  of  his  age.  He  has  served  as  a  publick  character  in  vari- 
ous departments  and  always  discharged  the  trust  faithfully  for  thirty-six 
years — a  worthy,  honest  man." 

Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  of  Bute  County,  our  present  sub- 
ject, is  usually  styled  Philemon  Hawkins,  Sr.,  in  history,  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  his  son.  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.,  of 


PHILEMON  HAWKINS,  SR.  137 

Pleasant  Hill,  in  Warren  County,  a  man  of  equal  note,  who  will 
be  the  subject  of  a  separate  sketch  in  the  present  volume,  as  will 
also  Benjamin  and  other  members  of  the  family.  Both  Philemon, 
Sr.,  and  Philemon,  Jr.,  fought  under  Governor  Tryon  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Alamance,  May  16,  1771. 

On  September  28,  1829,  Colonel  Hawkins,  the  younger, 
gathered  as  many  relatives  and  friends  at  Pleasant  Hill  in  Warren 
County  as  could  be  gotten  together,  and  celebrated  the  112th  an- 
niversary of  his  late  father's  birth.  One  of  the  chief  features  of 
this  gathering  was  an  oration  on  "Philemon  Hawkins,  Sr.,  De- 
ceased," delivered  by  Colonel  John  D.  Hawkins,  son  of  the 
younger  Philemon.  In  this  we  find  many  interesting  facts  about 
the  elder  Colonel  Hawkins.  Concerning  the  distinguished  part 
he  took  in  the  Battle  of  Alamance,  the  speaker  said : 

"Upon  this  occasion  His  Excellency  selected  our  venerated  ancestor 
as  his  chief  aid-de-camp  and  assigned  to  him  the  hazardous  duty  to  read 
to  the  Regulators  his  proclamation,  which  he  did  promptly.  And,  after 
the  battle  commenced,  he  was  the  bearer  of  the  Governor's  commands 
throughout  the  whole  action.  This  so  exposed  him  to  the  fire  of  the  ene- 
my that  his  hat  was  pierced  by  two  balls,  various  balls  passed  through 
his  clothes,  and  one  bullet  and  two  buckshot  lodged  in  the  breach  of  his 
gun,  which  he  carried  and  used  during  the  action.  But  he  had  the  good 
fortune  not  to  he  wounded.  After  the  battle  was  over,  he  was  compli- 
mented by  the  Governor  for  the  very  efficient  aid  given  him,  and  for  the 
bravery  and  ability  displayed  during  the  engagement." 

At  the  family  reimion,  when  the  above  quoted  address  was  de- 
livered, the  ceremonies  were  opened  with  prayer  by  Leonidas 
Polk,  a  young  clergyman,  whose  mother  was  a  daughter  of  the 
host.  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.  This  youthful  churchman 
later  became  renowned  alike  as  bishop  and  general,  and  was  killed 
while  fighting  for  the  Confederacy  at  Pine  Mountain,  Georgia, 
on  the  14th  of  June,  1864. 

But  recurring  to  the  history  of  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins: 
not  only  did  he  distinguish  himself  at  the  Battle  of  Alamance,  as 
above  noted,  but  he  filled  many  public  posts.  In  Bute  County 
he  was  High  Sheriff  (an  office  of  great  honor  and  dignity  under 
Royal  rule),  and  he  was  also  at  one  time  sergeant-at-arms  of  the 


138  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Colonial  Assembly.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  Gov- 
ernor Josiah  Martin  greatly  desired  to  gain  the  Hawkins  family 
for  the  King's  cause.  With  this  end  in  view  he  inserted  the  name 
of  Philemon  Hawkins,  Sr.,  and  of  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.,  in  a 
commission  (January  lo,  1776),  directing  a  rendezvous  of  Royal 
forces  at  Cross  Creek,  now  Fayetteville.  Neither  father  nor  son 
took  notice  of  this  action  by  Martin,  and  both  became  faithful 
patriots.  Referring  to  the  matter,  Governor  Swain,  in  one  of  his 
historical  addresses,  said : 

"These  gentlemen  were  sturdy  and  well-tried  Whigs  throughout  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Governor  Martin  may  have  been  misinformed  in 
relation  to  them,  or  may  have  inserted  their  names  in  order  to  render 
them  objects  of  suspicion  and  strip  them  of  their  influence  among  the 
Whigs." 

By  his  wife,  Delia  Martin,  six  children  were  born  to  Colonel 
Philemon  Hawkins,  Sr.  His  two  daughters  were  Delia,  who  mar- 
ried Leonard  Bullock;  and  Ann,  who  married  Micajah  Thomas. 
Both  of  these  ladies  died  without  surviving  issue.  The  four  sons 
of  Colonel  Hawkins  were  Colonel  John  Hawkins,  Colonel  Phile- 
mon Hawkins,  Jr.  (subject  of  separate  sketch  in  this  work), 
Colonel  Benjamin  Hawkins  (also  subject  of  separate  sketch),  and 
Colonel  Joseph  Hawkins. 

The  elder  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  whose  life  we  have  at- 
tempted to  portray  herein,  was  offered  a  brigadier-general's  com- 
mission in  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  but  declined.  For 
a  short  while,  however,  he  was  a  lieutenant-colonel  of  militia. 
Some  civil  appointments  were  conferred  upon  Colonel  Hawkins, 
and  these  he  accepted.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Pleas 
and  Quarter  Sessions,  first  for  the  county  of  Bute,  and  later  of 
Warren  County.  As  heretofore  mentioned,  his  life  was  the  sub- 
ject of  a  memorial  address  delivered  in  1829  by  his  grandson. 
Colonel  John  D.  Hawkins.  A  son  of  the  latter.  Doctor  A.  B. 
Hawkins,  of  Raleigh,  recently  had  this  address  reprinted. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood, 


PHILEMON  HA^A/KINS  JR 


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PHILEMON    HAWKINS,  JR. 

fOLONEL  PHILEMON  HAWKINS,  JR.,  of 
Pleasant  Hill,  in  the  county  of  Warren  (for- 
merly Bute)  was  the  second  son  of  a  gentle- 
man of  the  same  name  whose  life  has  been  de- 
picted in  the  foregoing  sketch.  He  was  bom 
on  the*  3d- of  December,  1752,  "at  two  o'clock 
in  the.  afternoon,"  as  his  precise  family  record  tells  us.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  rode  as  a  trooper  in  his  father's  company  of 
Bute  County  Light-Horse  when  Governor  Tryon  marched  against 
the  Regulators  in  1771 ;  and,  on  the  i6th  of  May,  in  that  year,  was 
a  courier  attached  to  the  staff  of  His  Excellency  at  the  Battle  of 
Alamance.  Tryon  had  a  strong  sense  of  the  value  of  the  services 
of  both  father  and  son  in  the  fight  here  alluded  to,  and  presented 
young  Hawkins  with  a  handsome  rifle  in  recognition  of  his  valor 
and  good  conduct. 

As  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  sketch,  Josiah  Martin,  Royal 
Governor,  made  vain  efforts  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution 
to  win  over  the  services  of  Philemon  Hawkins,  Sr.,  and  Philemon 
Hawkins,  Jr.,  of  the  then  county  of  Bute,  by  inserting  their  names 
in  a  commission  directing  a  rendezvous  of  Loyalists  at  Cross 
Creek,  where  the  town  of  Fayetteville  now  stands.  Not  only  was 
Martin's  commission  ignored  by  father  and  son  alike,  but  both  en- 
tered heart  and  soul  into  the  cause  of  the  Colonies. 

In  the  Summer  of  1775,  after  there  had  been  a  clash  of  arms 


140  NORTH  CAROLINA 

at  the  North,  there  was  a  general  arming  throughout  North  Caro-. 
lina,  and  independent  companies  were  then  formed,  which,  how- 
ever, were  disbanded  by  order  of  the  Congress  which  met  in  Sep- 
tember, 1775,  and  arranged  for  a  permanent  military  organiza- 
tion of  the  people  of  the  State.  It  was  apparently  during  that  Sum- 
mer that  a  company  was  formed  in  Bute,  the  association  paper 
being  printed  in  the  ninth  volume  of  the  Colonial  Records,  page 
1 104.  As  illustrating  the  sentiments  of  the  people  in  those  trying 
times,  we  make  some  condensed  extracts  from  the  same : 

"We,  therefore,  the  trusty  and  well-beloved  brothers  and  friends,  to 
each  other,  of  Bute  County,  North  Carolina,  ....  do  most  seri- 
ously, religiously,  join  our  hearts  and  hands  in  embodying  ourselves  into 
an  Independent  Company  of  Freemen,  to  be  in  readiness  to  defend  our- 
selves against  any  violence  that  may  be  exerted  against  our  persons  and 
pioperties,  to  stand  by  and  support  to  the  utmost  of  our  power  the  salva- 
tion of  America;  and  do  most  humbly  beseech  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
of  his  great  goodness,  that  he  be  pleased  to  govern  and  guide  us  to  his 
glory,  and  to  the  good  of  our  distressed  country ;  and  with  full  dependence 
thereon,  we  the  subscribers  do  constitute  and  agree  that  this  Company 
consist  of  ninety  rank  and  file,  two  drummers,  eight  sergeants,  one  en- 
sign, two  lieutenants,  and  a  captain  to  command,  with  full  power,  to  our 

glory  and  our   country's   good We   will   coincide    with    the 

majority  of  the  Company,  should  we  ever  be  called  for  by  the  Command- 
ing Officer  of  the  American  Army.  Being  now  cheerfully  enlisted  in  this 
Independent  Company  of  brothers,  neighbors  and  friends,  we  do  engage 
to  stand  by  each  other  with  life  and  fortune;  and,  through  whatever  fate 
should  befall  either,  to  cherish  each  other  in  sickness  and  in  health;  and 
do  furthermore  most  cordially  promise  to  each  other,  under  all  the  ties  of 
virtue  and  humanity,  that  should  either  of  us  survive  the  dreadful  calami- 
ties of  war,  that  we  will  religiously  cherish  and  support  to  the  utmost 
of  our  power  each  other's  desolate  and  loving  wife  and  tender,  affec- 
tionate children,  being  poor  orphans,  from  poverty  and  want;  and  for 
the  faithful  performance  of  this  our  brotherly  and  friendly  covenant 
which  we  mean  to  perform,  so  help  us  God." 

The  expressions  in  this  paper  show  the  solemnity  of  the  enlist- 
ment. It  appears  that  young  Philemon  Hawkins  was  captain 
of  the  company. 

When  the  Provincial  Congress  convened  on  April  4,  1776,  the 
town  of  Halifax  was  its  meeting-place,  and  Philemon  Hawkins, 


PHILEMON  HAWKINS,  JR.  141 

Jr.,  was  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  a  member  of  that  body.  On 
May  3d  this  Congress  advanced  Hawkins  to  the  full  rank  of 
colonel,  placing  him  in  command  of  a  regiment  drafted  from  the 
districts  of  Edenton  and  Halifax  for  the  special  purpose  of  sup- 
pressing an  insurrection  in  the  Currituck  district.  On  May 
9th  the  Committee  on  Claims  in  the  above  Congress  recommended 
an  allowance  to  Colonel  Hawkins  "for  the  services  of  his  regi- 
ment of  militia  on  the  late  Currituck  expedition,  and  against 
the  insurgents."  Colonel  Hawkins  was  a  member  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  at  Halifax  in  November,  1776.  While  the  Rev- 
olution was  in  progress  he  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's Council  and  often  sat  in  the  Assembly  both  during  and 
after  the  war. 

By  Chapter  19  of  the  Laws  of  1779  Bute  County  was  divided, 
and  out  of  it  were  created  the  counties  of  Warren  and  Franklin — 
the  two  latter  named  for  Revolutionary  patriots,  Joseph  Warren 
and  Benjamin  Franklin.  The  residence  of  Colonel  Hawkins  lay 
in  that  part  of  Bute  which  became  Warren  County ;  but  by  sub- 
sequent enactments  and  re-enactments  his  home  was  at  different 
times  placed  in  the  counties  of  Granville  and  Franklin,  as  well 
as  Warren,  but  eventually  his  home  place  became  permanently 
a  part  of  Warren.  At  seven  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly, 
beginning  in  1779,  and  extending — ^with  one  intermission — ^till 
1787,  Colonel  Hawkins  represented  Granville  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina House  of  Commons;  and  was  sent  to  the  same  body  from 
Warren  at  the  sessions  of  1787,  1789,  1803,  1805,  1806,  1817  and 
1 818.  He  was  also  State  Senator  from  Warren  at  the  sessions 
of  1807,  1808,  1810,  and  181 1. 

In  the  Convention  which  met  at  Fayetteville  in  November, 
1789,  and  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Colonel 
Hawkins  represented  Warren  County,  and  two  of  his  colleagues 
in  the  Warren  delegation  were  his  brother,  Colonel  Benjamin 
Hawkins,  and  Wyatt  Hawkins,  a  more  remote  connection. 

The  death  of  Colonel  Hawkins  occurred  on  the  28th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1833.  An  obituary,  containing  much  valuable  data  concern- 
ing his  life,  appeared  in  the  Raleigh  Register  of  February  8,  1833 : 


142  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"Died,  at  his  residence  at  Pleasant  Hill,  in  Warren  County,  on  the 
28th  ult,  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  the  last  of  the  signers  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  North  Carolina  in  1776.  He  was  born  on  the  3d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1752;  and,  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen,  was  sworn  in  as  a  Deputy 
Sheriff  of  the  county  of  Granville,  and  performed  the  whole  of  the  duties 
of  that  office  for  his  principal,  Leonard  Bullock.  He  belonged  to  the 
troop  of  cavalry  at  the  Battle  of  Allemance  [sic],  which  was  fought  on 
the  i6th  of  May,  1771 ;  and,  for  the  distinction  he  merited  on  that  oc- 
casion, was  presented  by  the  Commander-in-Chief,  Governor  Tryon,  with 
a  beautiful  rifle.  Before  he  was  of  age  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Greneral  Assembly  for  the  county  of  Bute.  He  continued  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature,  with  the  intermission  of  two  years  only, 
for  thirteen  years.  The  last  term  of  his  service  was  at  Fayette- 
ville  in  1789.  He  raised  the  first  volunteer  company  in  the  cause 
of  American  Independence  that  was  raised  in  the  county  of  Bute,  and 
which  consisted  of  144  men.  In  the  year  1776  he  was  elected  a  colonel 
of  a  regiment  by  the  Convention  at  Halifax,  and  in  that  command  per- 
formed many  services;  but  ultimately  left  the  army  and  continued  to  act 
as  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention 
which  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  was  frequently 
a  member  of  the  Executive  Council.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mental 
powers,  which  he  retained  to  the  last,  and  possessed  an  accuracy  of  rec- 
ollection which  enabled  him  to  be  the  living  chronicle  of  his  times.  He 
raised  twelve  children  to  adult  age,  but  six  of  them  preceded  him  to  the 
grave,  and  his  six  youngest  sons  graduated  at  the  University  of  North 
Carolina.  Full  of  years  and  of  all  the  comforts  of  this  world,  he  died 
after  a  short  illness,  in  so  much  tranquillity  of  mind,  and  apparently  so 
free  from  pain,  that  his  final  departure  was  like  a  man  in  a  sleep." 

On  the  31st  of  August,  1777,  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr., 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Lucy  Davis,  and  by  her  had  thirteen 
children,  as  follows:  William  Hawkins  (Governor  of  North  Caro- 
lina), who  married  Ann  Swepson  Boyd,  and  is  the  subject  of  a 
separate  sketch  in  this  work;  Eleanor  Howard  Hawkins,  who 
married  Sherwood  Haywood,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Raleigh ; 
Ann  Hawkins,  who  married  William  Person  Little,  of  Littleton ; 
John  Davis  Hawkins,  who  married  Jane  Boyd,  and  will  be  men- 
tioned later  in  a  separate  sketch;  Delia  Hawkins,  who  was  the 
second  wife  of  Stephen  Haywood,  of  Raleigh;  Sarah  Hawkins, 
who  was  the  second  wife  of  Colonel  William  Polk ;  Joseph  Haw- 
kins, who  married  Mary  Boyd ;  Benjamin  Franklin  Hawkins,  who 


PHILEMON  HAWKINS,  JR. 


143 


married  Sally  Person;  Philemon  Hawkins  (Captain  U.  S.  A.), 
who  died  unmarried;  Frank  Hawkins,  who  died  unmarried; 
George  Washington  Hawkins,  who  died  unmarried;  Lucy  Davis 
Ruffin  Hawkins,  who  was  the  first  wife  of  Honorable  Louis  D. 
Henry ;  and  Mildred  Brehon  Hawkins,  who  died  unmarried. 

From  the  above  children  of  Colonel  Hawkins  have  descended 
a  numerous  posterity,  including  branches  of  the  families  of  Polk, 
Haywood,  Blount,  Badger,  Little,  Andrews,  etc.,  as  well  as  those 
who  still  bear  the  surname  of  Hawkins. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


BENJAMIN  HAWKINS 


lENJAMIN  HAWKINS,  public  servant  in 
many  capacities,  was  bom  August  15,  1754, 
in  what  was  then  Granville,  later  Bute,  and  now 
Warren  County,  North  Carolina.  He  was  the 
son  of  Philemon  and  Delia  (Martin)  Hawkins 
and  came  of  a  family  which  has  been  well 
known  in  the  State  and  has  filled  many  positions  of  trust  and 
honor.  His  father's  life  forms  the  subject  of  a  separate  sketch 
in  the  present  work.  Benjamin  Hawkins,  the  son,  was  reared 
in  what  is  now  Warren  County,  and  like  his  neighbor,  Nat  Macon, 
was  sent,  along  with  his  younger  brother,  Joseph,  to  Princeton  and 
was  a  student  in  the  senior  class  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
began.  Having  acquired  a  knowledge  of  French,  he  left  Prince- 
ton, was  appointed  on  the  staff  of  General  Washington,  and  acted 
as  his  interpreter.  But  his  duties  as  a  member  of  Washington's 
military  family  did  not  cease  with  translating.  He  braved  the 
rigors  of  the  campaign,  participated  in  the  Battle  of  Monmouth, 
and  won  the  respect  of  his  superiors. 

He  soon  returned  to  North  Carolina,  and  in  February,  1779, 
the  State  commissioned  him  as  agent  to  obtain  at  home  and  abroad 
supplies  of  all  kinds  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  inclu3ing 
arms  and  ammunition,  blankets,  hats,  clothing,  tent  cloth,  com, 
salt,  pork,  etc.  He  was  instructed  to  visit  Holland,  France  and 
Spain  (State  Rec.  XIII.  605-6)  and  did  make  a  trip  to  St.  Eustatia, 


\;  \MIX    HAWKINS 


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11  him  as  a^.".t  !-    .hrai*.  ..'  '    .■    ••  a-;.i  a'-r- -a-i 

f«»r  the  pi'.- '-'.'.tion  (•!*  t*:.^    w.-r.   '"nci'i'liiiL; 

M.  hbri^«'tv  h.ats.   cl'  ♦'li''  -.  \      '      '    th.  o)n;. 

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BENJAMIN  HAWKINS  145 

a  neutral  island  of  the  West  Indies  and  a  sort  of  Nassau  of  that 
day.  Tobacco  was  used  as  a  basis  for  purchases.  It  was  bought 
in  North  Carolina  and  shipped  to  the  West  Indies  and  there  ex- 
changed. Hawkins  loaded  a  merchant  ship  and  sent  her  to  North 
Carolina  with  supplies,  chiefly  munitions  of  war,  but  she  was 
captured  by  the  British  on  the  home  trip,  and  her  owner,  John 
Wright  Stanly,  of  New-Bern,  failing  to  recover  from  the  State, 
sued  Hawkins  in  his  personal  capacity.  The  Courts  decided  that 
the  purchases  and  contracts  of  the  State's  agent  did  not  bind  him 
personally  (ist  Haywood's  Reports).  His  efforts  at  importa- 
tion from  foreign  ports  were  not  entirely  without  success,  for  in 
February,  1780,  he  had  imported  878  stands  of  arms  from  St. 
Eustatia,  but  adds :  "I  could  not  procure  anything  on  the  faith 
of  the  State,  or  by  barter  for  provisions  or  tobacco,  as  was  ex- 
pected." (State  Rec.  XV.,  p.  337.)  At  home  he  was  also  employed 
in  procuring  food  supplies,  especially  corn,  salt  and  pork,  and  met 
with  more  success  than  in  his  foreign  enterprises,  for  there  were 
fewer  obstacles  to  overcome. 

He  early  impressed  the  Assembly  with  his  fitness  for  activity 
on  a  wider  field,  for  as  early  as  February  3,  1779,  he  was  nom- 
inated for,  and  on  July  14,  1781,  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the 
Continental  Congress  in  place  of  Charles  Johnson,  declined  (State 
Rec.  XIII.  585 ;  XVII.  872).  He  first  appears  in  the  journals  of 
that  body  on  October  4,  1781 ;  was  re-elected  May  3,  1782;  again 
in  May,  1783,  and  served  until  1784.  He  was  chosen  December 
16,  1786,  for  the  remainder  of  the  year,  which  had  begun  Novem- 
ber 1st,  to  supply  a  place  then  vacant  and  was  again  elected  in 
December,  1787,  but  seems  not  to  have  served  this  last  appoint- 
ment. While  in  the  Continental  Congress  he  was  particularly  in- 
terested in  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  protection  of 
the  frontiers  from  the  Indians,  in  a  southern  post  route,  in  trade 
and  commerce,  etc.  In  December,  1787,  along  with  Robert  But- 
ton and  William  Blount  he  gives  a  gloomy  but  accurate  picture 
of  the  state  of  the  Union.  It  was  then  on  the  eve  of  bankruptcy ; 
little  had  been  paid  on  the  foreign  debt,  and  the  Government  was 
on  the  verge  of  dissolution.    He  resigned  his  post  the  same  month. 


146  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Hawkins  had  served  in  the  North  Carolina  Assembly  as  early 
as  the  April  and  August  sessions,  1778,  and  January  session, 
1779.  He  was  again  in  the  Assembly  in  April,  1784,  as  a  rep- 
resentative from  Warren.  He  played  here  a  conspicuous  part, 
being  often  on  the  floor  and  serving  on  such  committees  as  that 
on  the  tax  to  be  levied  by  the  Continental  Congress  and  on  the 
Continental  Line,  and  on  such  special  committees  as  those  on  con- 
fiscated estates,  civil  list,  duties,  Martinique  debt,  etc.  He  was 
nominated  for  membership  in  the  Council  of  State  this  year,  and 
it  is  known  that  he  opposed  the  wholesale  condemnation  of  Tories, 
acting  in  this  connection  with  the  conservatives  and  opposing 
such  radicals  as  Blood  worth,  Rutherford  and  Martin  (State  Rec- 
ords XVn.  145). 

During  the  years  immediately  following  the  war  the  State  was 
very  much  oppressed  by  the  want  of  a  fixed  circulating  medium. 
The  paper  money  had  depreciated  till  it  was  worth  only  800  to  i ; 
there  was  practically  no  gold  and  silver  in  circulation,  and  as  a 
result  the  State  was  hard  put  to  meet  its  current  obligations,  pay 
its  officers,  and  raise  its  proportion  of  the  foreign  debt  of  the  Con- 
federation. To  meet  this  emergency  State  buyers  of  tobacco  were 
appointed  in  various  towns,  who  gathered  and  stored  such  amounts 
of  merchantable  tobacco  as  were  available.  This  was  then  sold 
to  the  best  advantage  and  the  proceeds  used  in  pa)rment  of  the 
foreign  debt.  In  1787  Hawkins  and  William  Blount,  in  addition 
to  their  other  duties  as  delegates  in  the  Continental  Congress,  were 
charged  with  the  sale  of  this  tobacco,  which  work  was  successfully 
accomplished. 

In  December,  1788,  Hawkins  was  nominated  along  with  Hugh 
Williamson  and  Abishai  Thomas  as  agent  to  settle  the  accounts 
of  North  Carolina  with  the  United  States;  the  last  two  were 
chosen.  In  November  of  that  year  he  was  also  nominated  as  a 
delegate  to  the  proposed  convention,  whose  work  it  was  to  be  to 
further  revise  and  democratize  the  new  Federal  Constitution.  In 
November,  1789,  he  represented  Warren  County  in  the  Fayette- 
ville  Convention.  He  served  on  its  committee  on  order  and  voted 
for  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution. 


BENJAMIN  HAWKINS  147 

After  the  State  entered  the  new  Federal  Union  there  was  an- 
other struggle  between  the  two  parties  of  the  day,  conservatives 
and  radicals,  or  Federalists  and  anti-Federalists,  later  Republi- 
cans, over  the  senators  to  the  new  Federal  Congress.  The  slrug- 
gle  began  in  the  Assembly  three  days  after  the  ratification  of  the 
Constitution.  The  nominees  for  senators  were  Samuel  Johnston, 
Benjamin  Hawkins,  James  White,  Joseph  McDowell,  Timothy 
Bloodworth,  Thomas  Person,  William  Blount,  John  Williams, 
William  Lenoir,  John  Stokes,  Richard  Dobbs  Spaight  and  Wil- 
liam Polk,  a  goodly  company,  where  the  rankest  Federalist  was 
crowded  and  jostled  by  the  extreme  Radical.  The  Federals  were 
in  power,  and  it  was  proper  that  Samuel  Johnston,  the  leading 
exponent  of  that  party's  political  principles,  should  be  chosen  the 
first  senator  in  Congress  from  North  Carolina  (November  27, 
1789).  After  some  skirmishing  Hawkins  was  chosen  on  Decem- 
ber 9th  as  the  second  senator.  He  was  the  first  to  enter  upon  his 
duties,  having  qualified  January  13,  1790,  and  winning  the  long 
term  served  till  March  3,  1795.  Johnston  drew  the  short  term 
and  served  from  January  29,  1790,  to  March  2,  1793.  In  the 
meantime  the  political  tide  changed  in  North  Carolina,  and  the 
Federalist  and  ultra-conservative  Johnston  was  succeeded  in  1793 
by  the  more  liberal  Alexander  Martin,  while  in  1795  Hawkins, 
aristocratic,  conservative,  proud  and  wealthy,  gave  way  for  the 
ultra-radical  Bloodworth,  who  had  begun  life  as  a  blacksmith 
and  by  sheer  force  of  native  intellect  had  worked  his  way  to  the 
front  in  public  life. 

It  is  of  interest  to  make  note  here,  merely  as  a  sign  of  the 
times,  that  in  1790  the  "alarming  secrecy"  of  the  Senate  caused 
the  North  Carolina  Assembly  to  instruct  its  senators  to  use  their 
influence  to  make  the  debates  of  the  Senate  public  when  sitting 
in  its  legislative  capacity ;  "to  correspond  regularly  and  constantly 
with  the  executive  during  the  recess  of  the  Legislature"  and  at 
other  times  with  the  Legislature  itself,  and  to  secure  the  publica- 
tion of  the  journals  of  the  Senate. 

Hawkins  had  been  appointed  a  commissioner  on  March  21, 
1785,  to  treat  with  the  Cherokees  and  "all  other  Indians  southward 


148  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  them"  in  accord  with  the  act  of  Congress  of  March  15,  1785. 
The  other  commissioners  were  Daniel  Carroll,  William  Perry, 
Andrew  Pickens  and  Joseph  Martin  (q.  v.).  Carroll  and  Perry 
did  not  serve  and  their  place  was  taken  by  Lachlan  Mcintosh. 
They  were  instructed  to  give  due  notice  to  the  Governor  of  North 
Carolina.  They  were  to  treat  with  the  Cherokees,  and  also  with 
the  Creeks,  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  and  were  authorized  to 
draw  on  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia 
for  funds,  and  warned  the  executives  of  those  States  that  funds 
must  be  forthcoming  if  the  treaties  were  to  be  held.  Caswell 
writes  back  that,  while  North  Carolina  was  hard  pressed,  he  would 
furnish  one-third  of  the  total  sum  asked  for.  The  commissioners 
spent  1785  in  making  preparations;  goods  were  purchased  and 
sent  to  Charleston  to  go  overland  to  Keowee.  The  Indians  were 
slow  in  coming:  the  Creeks  failed  them  entirely  and  the  Con- 
tinental commissioners  did  not  sign  the  treaty  of  Galphinton, 
which  was  the  work  of  the  agents  of  Georgia  alone.  On  Novem- 
ber 28,  1785,  Hawkins  signed  at  Hopewell  on  Keowee  with  the 
Cherokees  the  treaty  of  Hopewell,  than  which  perhaps  no  other 
Indian  treaty  was  more  roundly  denounced  by  the  whites.  The 
object  of  this  treaty  was  to  define  the  claims  of  the  whites  and 
Indians  respectively  and  so  prevent  encroachments  of  the  former. 
William  Blount  was  present  as  agent  for  North  Carolina,  and 
agents  for  Georgia  w^re  also  in  attendance.  The  treaty  was 
mainly  the  work  of  Martin ;  the  chief  question  was  that  of  bound- 
aries, and  the  Indians  drafted  a  map  showing  their  claims.  They 
were  induced  to  give  up  Transylvania,  to  leave  out  the  Cumber- 
land section  and  the  settlements  on  French  Broad  and  Holston. 
The  boundaries  thus  fixed  were  the  most  favorable  it  was  possi- 
ble to  obtain  without  regard  to  previous  purchases  and  pretended 
purchases  made  by  private  individuals  and  others.  The  Indians 
yielded  an  extensive  territory-  to  the  United  States,  but  on  the 
other  hand  the  commissioners  conceded  to  them  a  considerable  ex- 
tent of  territory  that  had  been  purchased  by  private  individuals, 
though  by  methods  of  more  than  doubtful  legality.  The  com- 
missioners agreed  to  remove  some  families  from  the  Indian  lands. 


BENJAMIN  HAWKINS  149 

but  they  did  not  agree  to  remove  those  between  French  Broad 
and  Holston.  This  angered  the  Indians,  who  said  that  they  had 
never  sold  those  lands.  The  whites  were  angry  because  some 
favors  had  been  shown  the  Indians  and  because  there  had  not 
been  further  curtailment  of  territory,  and  the  States  were  angry 
because  the  commissioners  had  encroached  on  their  reserved 
rights.  William  Blount,  as  agent  of  North  Carolina,  protested, 
and  efforts  were  made  in  Congress  to  destroy  the  treaty  (State 
Rec,  XVII.  578-9;  XVIII.  49,  591-2,  490-1;  XX.  762).  En- 
croachments continued;  orders  were  issued  by  North  Carolina 
and  by  the  Continental  Congress  that  settlers  should  leave  the  In- 
dian lands.  These  settlers  were  even  threatened  with  the  army ; 
but  treaties,  proclamations  and  threats  were  alike  in  vain,  for  the 
terms  of  the  treaty  were  never  fully  executed.  Hawkins,  Pickens 
and  Martin  signed  treaties  with  the  Choctaws  on  January  3d,  and 
with  the  Chickasaws  January  10,  1786,  at  the  same  place. 

With  this  preliminary  experience  Hawkins  was  somewhat  pre- 
pared to  undertake  the  difficult  and  dangerous  work  of  an  Indian 
agent.  His  term  as  senator  expired  March  3,  1795.  In  June  of 
that  year  Washington  appointed  him  along  with  George  Clymer, 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  Andrew  Pickens,  of  South  Carolina,  to  treat 
with  the  Creek  Confederacy  and  to  investigate  the  anomalous 
political  relationship  caused  by  the  treaty  of  Galphinton  in  1785, 
where  the  Creeks  had  acknowledged  themselves  as  within  the 
limits  of  Georgia  and  members  of  the  same,  and  the  treaty  of  New 
York,  signed  August  7,  1790,  where  they  placed  themselves  under 
the  protection  of  the  United  States  alone  and  bound  themselves 
not  to  enter  into  any  treaty  with  any  other  individual.  State  or 
power. 

In  1796  Washington  appointed  Hawkins  agent  of  the  United 
States  among  the  Creeks  and  general  superintendent  of  all  the 
tribes  south  of  the  Ohio  River  (Chappell's  "Miscellanies;"  his 
commission  was  renewed  by  Jefferson  in  1801).  From  this  time, 
1796,  the  remainder  of  the  life  of  Benjamin  Hawkins  was  de- 
voted entirely  to  the  Indian.  It  is  said  that  his  family  opposed  this 
determination,  for  it  was  ambitious  and  wealthy.     It  is  possible 


ISO  NORTH  CAROLINA 

that  there  was  an  element  of  pique  at  the  change  in  the  political 
tide  in  North  Carolina,  but  it  is  certain  that  Hawkins  had  al- 
ready been  much  among  the  Indians;  he  had  penetrated  the 
mighty  forests  and  had  tasted  the  freedom  that  comes  with  life 
in  the  woods;  he  had  felt  what  a  modem  novelist  has  keenly 
denominated  the  "call  of  the  wild,"  and  when  this  spirit  has  once 
entered  into  and  mastered  the  soul  of  man  it  is  seldom  that  he 
again  willingly  submits  to  the  restraints  of  civilization.  When 
Hawkins  accepted  this  position  as  Indian  agent  he  practically  quit 
civilized  society,  buried  himself  in  the  remote  and  savage  woods 
and  among  a  still  more  savage  people,  with  whom  the  remainder 
of  his  days  were  spent. 

On  June  29,  1796,  Hawkins  negotiated  with  the  Creeks  the 
treaty  of  Coleraine  which  served  as  a  useful  supplement  to  the 
treaty  of  New  York  and  by  which  the  boundaries  of  the  earlier 
treaty  were  confirmed.  From  this  time  for  twenty  years  Colonel 
Hawkins  as  United  States  agent  among  the  Creeks  wielded  a  pro- 
consular sway  over  a  scope  of  country  regal  in  extent:  Begin- 
ning at  St.  Mary's  the  Creek  boundary  ran  across  to  the  Altamaha ; 
thence  it  turned  up  and  along  the  west  bank  of  that  river  and  of 
the  Oconee  to  the  High  Shoals  of  the  Appalachee,  where  it  inter- 
sected the  Cherokee  line;  thence  through  Georgia  and  Alabama 
to  the  Choctaw  line  in  Mississippi ;  thence  south  down  the  Choc- 
taw line  to  the  31st  parallel;  thence  east  to  the  Chattahoochee, 
and  then  down  that  river  to  its  junction  with  the  Flint;  thence 
to  the  head  of  St.  Mary's  River,  and  thence  to  the  beginning. 

Hawkins  began  his  work  as  agent  by  a  careful  study  of  the 
people  and  of  their  country.  He  did  much  to  initiate  and  encourage 
them  in  the  lower  forms,  the  basal  elements,  of  civilization ;  pastur- 
age was  brought  into  use ;  agriculture  was  encouraged  by  example 
as  well  as  precept,  for  he  brought  his  slaves  from  North  Carolina 
and  at  the  agency  on  Flint  River  cultivated  a  large  plantation  and 
raised  immense  crops  of  com  and  other  provisions,  thus  setting 
a  high  example  of  how  to  do  by  doing.  He  owned  great  herds 
of  hogs  and  cattle  and  practised  towards  the  Indians  a  profuse 
hospitality  which  always  wins  their  friendship  and  esteem.  Other 


BENJAMIN  HAWKINS  151 

treaties  were  negotiated  with  the  Creeks  at  Fort  Wilkinson, 
Georgia,  in  1802  and  at  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1805 1  also  with  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  in  1801,  1802,  1803,  and  1805,  in  which 
Hawkins  was  more  or  less  of  a  participant  and  all  of  which  meant 
a  further  cession  of  lands  to  the  United  States  by  the  Indians  who 
were  under  his  control.  But  peaceful  and  friendly  relations  were 
generally  maintained  by  Hawkins  between  advancing  white  and 
retreating  Amerind  for  about  sixteen  years.  With  the  war  of 
1812  the  times  changed.  It  was  no  longer  possible  for  him  to 
control  the  Creeks,  who  fell  under  the  influence  of  British  emis- 
saries. Tecumseh  had  visited  them  in  181 1  on  a  mission  of  war. 
Hawkins  met  the  great  warrior  of  the  north  at  Tuckabatchee,  the 
Creek  capital,  while  holding  a  great  council  of  the  nation,  but 
Tecumseh  kept  silent  as  to  the  object  of  his  mission  till  the  de- 
parture of  Hawkins.  Then,  through  that  fierce  Indian  eloquence 
of  which  he  was  master  and  by  the  fanatical  religiosity  of  his 
brother,  the  Prophet,  a  great  Indian  war  was  kindled,  which 
spread  far  and  wide  over  the  frontier.  But  that  part  of  the  Creek 
country  bordering  on  Georgia  and  extending  west  from  the  Oc- 
mulgee  to  the  Chattahoochee  never  became  the  seat  of  actual  war- 
fare, and  hence  the  eastern  frontier  was  spared  its  horrors.  This 
was  due  very  largely  to  the  fact  that  Hawkins's  seat  was  on  the 
Ocmulgee,  opposite  the  present  Macon,  and  afterwards  on  the 
Flint  at  the  place  since  known  as  the  Old  Agency,  and  that  his 
influence  was  naturally  greater  on  the  eastern  than  on  the  western 
border  of  the  Creek  country.  The  eastern  Creeks  were  actually 
organized  into  a  regiment  of  defence  of  which  Hawkins  became 
titular  colonel,  the  actual  command  devolving  on  the  half-breed 
chief,  William  Mcintosh. 

The  uprising  of  the  Creeks  was  crushed  in  fire  and  blood  by 
Jackson  early  in  1814;  by  the  treaty  of  Fort  Jackson  their  limits 
were  greatly  reduced  and  their  strength  broken  forever.  This 
treaty  was  the  death-knell  of  the  nation ;  even  the  friendly  chiefs 
withered  under  its  influence,  and  the  passing  of  the  people  for 
whom  he  had  so  long  and  faithfully  labored  perhaps  hastened 
the  death  of  Hawkins  himself,  which  occurred  at  Hawkinsville, 


152  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Georgia,  June  6,  1816.  Wheeler  states  in  his  "Reminiscences"  that 
Hawkins  married  and  left  one  son,  Madison,  and  three  daughters. 

Colonel  Hawkins  was  a  man  of  liberal  education,  high  attain- 
ments and  much  experience.  He  was  far  above  the  average  In- 
dian agent  of  that  day  and  of  this  in  general  culture  and  grasp  of 
affairs.  Further,  he  was  a  man  of  approved  honesty,  and  his  life, 
as  seen  in  his  published  letters,  shows  clearly  that  he  was  de- 
voted to  the  material  upbuilding  of  the  Indians  under  his  care 
and  to  their  intellectual  advancement.  The  eminent  position  that 
the  Creeks,  Cherokees,  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  now  occupy 
among  the  civilized  tribes  of  the  Indian  Territory  is  to  be  traced 
beyond  question  in  part  to  the  fostering  and  fatherly  care  shown 
them  a  hundred  years  ago  by  one  who  sought  not  to  exploit  his 
proteges  for  his  own  material  benefit,  but  strove  rather,  by  ex- 
ample as  well  as  precept,  to  lift  them  to  a  higher  life,  and  whose 
efforts  they  recognized  and  rewarded  in  the  significant  title  Iste- 
chate-lige-osetat-chemis-te-chaugo — Beloved  Man  of  the  Four 
Nations. 

Colonel  Hawkins  also  devoted  much  time  to  the  study  of  In- 
dian history,  especially  that  of  the  Creeks.  Much  of  his  material 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  eight  manuscript  volumes  escaped  and 
are  in  possession  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society.  These  vol- 
umes relate  to  the  history  of  the  various  tribes  with  whom  he 
treated  and  are  filled  with  details  of  treaties,  his  correspondence 
on  behalf  of  the  Indians  with  the  State  and  General  Governments, 
vocabularies  of  Indian  languages,  records  of  the  manners  and 
customs,  religious  rites,  civil  polity,  etc.  His  "Sketch  of  the  Creek 
Country  in  1798  and  1799"  was  published  in  1848  as  Part  i  of  Vol- 
ume 3  of  the  Historical  Collections  of  the  Georgia  Historical  So- 
ciety. It  is  filled  with  matters  relating  to  the  life,  manners  and 
customs  of  the  Creeks  and  to  the  natural  features  of  their  coun- 
try. His  journal  of  a  "Tour  Through  the  Creek  Country," 
November  19,  1796,  to  May  21,  1797,  is  still  in  manuscript  and 
is  owned  by  the  same  society.  While  in  many  respects  Hawkins's 
studies  have  been  superseded  by  later  and  more  scientific  ones, 
they  are  in  others  still  of  great  value,  and  if  published  would 


BENJAMIN  HAWKINS 


153 


serve  as  a  valuable  picture  of  Creek  Indian  life  at  a  time  when  that 
powerful  nation  had  come  little  in  contact  with  the  English-speak- 
ing world  by  whom  they  were  to  be  in  part  destroyed,  in  part 
absorbed. 

This  sketch  is  based  on  the  sketch  of  Hawkins  in  his  "Creek 
Country,"  on  that  in  Chappell's  "Miscellanies  of  Georgia,"  on  the 
"North  Carolina  State  Records"  and  on  Royce's  "Indian  Land 
Cessions  in  the  United  States." 

Stephen  B.  Weeks, 


WILLIAM  HAWKINS 

HEN  hostilities  between  America  and  Great 
Britain  opened  for  a  second  time  in  1812,  the 
Governor  of  North  Carolina  was  William  Haw- 
kins, a  native  of  the  county  of  Bute,  and  a  citi- 
zen of  the  county  of  Granville  at  the  time  of 
his  election  as  Chief  Magistrate.  Two  years 
after  the  birth  of  Governor  Hawkins  the  name  of  Bute  County 
was  expunged  from  the  map,  and  its  territory  divided  into  the 
counties  of  Warren  and  Franklin.  This  action — taken  while  the 
Revolutionary  War  was  in  progress — was  done  to  perpetuate  the 
names  of  two  honored  patriots  in  lieu  of  that  of  Lord  Bute,  one 
of  the  ministers  of  King  George.  Upon  the  division  of  Bute, 
Warren  County  became  the  home  of  the  Hawkins  family.  This 
family  had  stamped  its  name  on  the  history  of  North  Carolina 
long  before  William  Hawkins  added  to  its  honors.  Governor 
Hawkins  was  a  son  of  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.  (subject 
of  one  of  the  preceding  sketches),  and  his  wife,  Lucy  Davis. 

William  Hawkins  was  bom  on  the  loth  of  October,  1777,  and 
was  reared  at  Pleasant  Hill,  his  father's  seat  in  Warren  County. 
His  early  childhood  was  passed  in  the  troublous  times  of  our  War 
for  Independence,  but  comparative  quiet  reigned  in  his  native 
county,  for  "there  were  no  Tories  in  Bute."  After  receiving  a 
good  preliminary  education,  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  Gran- 
ville County  under  Judge  John  Williams.    About  the  time  he  be- 


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WILLIAM  HAWKINS  155 

came  of  age,  his  uncle,  Colonel  Benjamin  Hawkins,  invited  him 
to  make  his  home  at  Fort  Hawkins,  Georgia,  and  offered  him  the 
office  of  Assistant  Indian  Agent.  This  office  young  Hawkins  ac- 
cepted, and  left  North  Carolina  for  his  new  home  in  the  month 
of  December,  1797.  After  two  years  spent  at  the  Agency,  Wil- 
liam Hawkins  grew  tired  of  the  Indian  country,  and  longed  for  his 
native  State.  At  the  suggestion  of  his  uncle,  however,  he  decided 
first  to  spend  several  years  at  Philadelphia,  and  there  renew  the 
study  of  law,  besides  perfecting  himself  in  French  and  other 
branches  of  knowledge.  Many  of  the  friends  made  by  Benjamin 
Hawkins  while  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  Senate 
at  Philadelphia  were  still  residents  of  that  city,  so  his  favorite 
nephew  did  not  go  as  an  unknown  stranger  to  Pennsylvania's 
metropolis. 

In  1801  young  Hawkins  returned  to  his  native  State,  a  finished 
scholar  and  a  man  of  affairs.  About  a  year  after  his  arrival.  Gov- 
ernor Turner  made  use  of  his  experience  in  the  Indian  country 
by  entrusting  to  his  management  the  settlement  of  some  troubles 
with  the  Tuscaroras.  In  1804  William  Hawkins  was  elected  to 
represent  Warren  County  in  the  North  Carolina  House  of  Com- 
mons; he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  post  in  1805,  his  colleague 
being  his  father.  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.  At  the  sessions 
of  1809,  1810  and  181 1  he  represented  Granville  County  in  the 
North  Carolina  House  of  Commons.    The  House  of  Commons  for 

1810  elected  him  Speaker;  he  was  also  Speaker  of  the  House  in 

181 1  (November  9th)  ;  but  during  the  latter  session,  on  Decem- 
ber 7th,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  North  Carolina.  Two  days 
later,  on  December  9th,  he  was  duly  inaugurated.  He  was  twice 
re-elected — serving  three  annual  terms  in  all — ^and  retired  on 
December  7,  1814,  when  Governor  William  Miller  qualified. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  fell 
within  the  administration  of  Governor  Hawkins.  On  the  23d  of 
June,  1812,  an  express  messenger  reached  Raleigh,  announcing 
the  declaration  of  war.  In  his  message  to  the  General  Assembly 
(November  18,  1812),  Governor  Hawkins  said: 


156  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"The  insolence,  the  injustice  and  the  complicated  aggressions  on  the 
part  of  that  nation  [Great  Britain]  towards  the  United  States  not  only 
afforded  our  Government  abundant  cause  of  an  appeal  to  arms  long  be- 
fore the  period  when  that  event  took  place,  but  seemed  in  the  most  com- 
manding terms  to  call  for  the  adoption  of  that  alternative  in  order  to 
convince  the  enemy  and  the  world  that  we  possessed  the  will  and  the 
power  to  maintain  and  defend  that  liberty  and  independence  which 
emanated  from  and  were  secured  to  us  by  the  glorious  struggles  of  our 

Revolutionary  fathers Let  England  be  taught  to  know  that 

the  present  race  of  Americans  are  not  of  spurious  origin — that  they  are 
the  legitimate  offspring  of  the  heroes  of  our  Revolution.  She  will  then 
respect  our  rights,  and  the  savage  warwhoop  will  cease  to  terrify  the  de- 
fenceless inhabitants  of  our  extensive  frontiers." 

Later  on  in  this  message  Governor  Hawkins  stated  that  in  the 
preceding  April  the  President  had  directed  him  to  detach  from 
the  militia  of  the  State  seven  thousand  men  (including  officers) 
for  service  when  needed.  This  quota  had  been  raised,  said  he, 
and  consisted  nearly  altogether  of  volunteers,  while  many  com- 
panies throughout  the  State  were  asking  to  be  sent  into  the  field 
whenever  needed. 

On  hearing  that  a  landing  on  our  seacoast  had  been  effected 
in  July,  1813,  Governor  Hawkins  left  Raleigh  on  the  19th  of  that 
month,  accompanied  by  his  aide-de-camp,  Colonel  Beverly  Daniel, 
and  the  Wake  Dragoons  under  Major  Thomas  Henderson,  while 
General  Calvin  Jones  preceded  him  with  another  detachment  of 
troops.  After  inspecting  the  defences  in  the  vicinity  of  New- 
Bern  and  then  going  to  other  points  along  our  coast  region.  Gov- 
ernor Hawkins  returned  to  Raleigh  on  August  20th,  and  later 
sent  a  report  of  his  observations  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 

In  his  message  of  November  17,  1813,  to  the  General  As- 
sembly, Governor  Hawkins  referred  to  the  efforts  for  peace,  say- 
ing: 

"If  we  weaken  ourselves  by  cherishing  internal  divisions;  if  we  exhibit 
ourselves  to  the  enemy  as  a  nation  composed  of  two  hostile  parties,  each 
endeavoring  to  destroy  the  other,  we  shall  place  that  object  at  a  distance 
from  us.  Great  Britain,  presuming  upon  our  weakness,  thus  produced, 
will  not  only  be  more  obstinate,  but  will  be  encouraged  to  indulge  her 
ambition  and  arrogance.     Is  there  an   instance  recorded  where  British 


WILLIAM  HAWKINS  157 

rapacity  has  yielded  to  the  supplications  of  the  weak?  We  cannot  expect 
that  nation,  whose  Government  is  so  hostile  to  ours,  will  ever  grant  us 
peace  as  a  boon.  Every  American  citizen,  therefore,  who  is  anxious  that 
it  should  be  restored,  will  deem  it  his  imperative  duty  to  give  his  support 
to  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  as  the  only  effectual  means  of 
obtaining  it." 

The  Adjutant-General  of  North  Carolina  (Robert  Williams, 
of  Surry)  on  November  24,  1813,  reported  that  the  State  militia 
numbered  51,298  officers  and  men.  At  that  time  all  able-bodied 
citizens  were  required  to  attend  musters  and  were  considered  a 
part  of  the  militia. 

In  his  message  of  November  23,  1814,  to  the  last  Lep^islature 
which  met  during  his  administration,  Governor  Hawkins  con- 
tinues to  pour  forth  his  defiance  against  the  enemy  and  to  in- 
voke a  spirited  resistance  to  the  unjust  demands  of  England. 
After  recounting  some  of  the  incidents  of  the  war,  he  says : 

"When  we  view  the  effect  which  these  outrages,  and  the  arrogant  and 
insulting  demands  of  the  British  Government  as  the  conditions  of  peace, 
have  produced  upon  the  two  great  contending  parties  of  our  country,  we 
find  real  cause  of  exultation.  The  eyes  of  all  are  opened.  The  character 
of  the  enemy  stands  exposed.  Party  prejudices  and  distinctions  are  done 
away.  The  love  of  country  predominates.  That  determined  spirit  which 
animated  and  nerved  the  arms  of  our  Revolutionary  fathers  in  achieving 
the  liberty  and  independence  which  we  now  enjoy,  pervades  this  exten- 
sive Continent.  The  resolution  is  now  formed  to  bring  into  action  the 
united  energies  of  the  nation  to  chastise  our  perfidious  and  insolent  foe, 
and  to  compel  him  to  abandon  his  iniquitous  pretensions  and  give  us 
peace  upon  honorable  terms." 

Speaking  of  events  in  North  Carolina,  the  Governor  went  on  to 
say  in  this  message : 

"Since  the  adjournment  of  the  last  Assembly  the  enemy  in  small  plun- 
dering parties  have  made  a  few  hasty  incursions  on  the  seacoast,  but  none 
of  a  character  to  render  it  necessary  or  even  allow  time  to  call  out  the 
local  militia.  One  company,  however,  was  ordered  on  duty  for  a  short 
time  to  relieve  a  detachment  of  militia  drafts  which  had  garrisoned  Fort 
Hampton,  and  whose  term  of  service  was  about  to  expire.  This  company 
was  subsequently  recognized  as  being  in  the  service  of  the  United  States 
by  Colonel  Long,  of  the  United  States  Army,  commanding  in  this  State, 
who  received  their  returns  and  informed  me  they  would  be  paid.    Several 


158  NORTH  CAROLINA 

detachments  of  the  requisition  of  the  General  Government  have,  however, 
been  called  into  service.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year  a  regiment  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Jesse  A.  Pearson  marched  to  the  Creek  Nation 
to  aid  in  suppressing  the  hostile  part  of  these  Indians.  I  had  the  grati- 
fication to  learn  from  the  commanding  general,  and  it  gives  me  pleasure 
to  communicate  to  the  Legislature,  that  this  regiment — in  point  of  dis- 
cipline, soldier-like  demeanor,  and  promptness  in  the  execution  of  every 
command  that  was  given  them — could  not  have  been  surpassed  by  any 
troops  who  have  been  no  longer  in  the  service.  After  their  term  of  ser- 
vice had  expired,  they  were  marched  to  this  State,  received  their  pay,  and 
were  honorably  discharged.  Another  regiment  is  now  in  the  service  of 
this  State,  a  third  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  and  a  fourth  is  ordered  to  ren- 
dezvous on  the  28th  inst.  to  reinforce  the  garrison  of  -that  place." 

As  heretofore  noted,  the  third  and  last  administration  of  Gov- 
ernor Hawkins  ended  on  December  7,  1814.  On  the  24th  of  the 
same  month  a  Treaty  of  Peace  was  signed  at  Ghent,  and  hos- 
tilities ceased  when  news  of  this  event  reached  America. 

The  erection  of  the  Governor's  mansion,  which  formerly  stood 
at  the  southern  end  of  Fayetteville  Street  in  Raleigh,  but  which 
has  since  been  demolished,  was  begun  during  the  administration 
of  Governor  Hawkins;  and  his  successor,  Governor  Miller,  was 
its  first  occupant.  As  late  as  December,  181 5,  the  building  com- 
mittee reported  to  the  State  Senate:  "The  edifice  intended  for 
the  Governor's  dwelling  is  not  yet  completed." 

For  many  years — from  1803  until  his  death  in  18 19 — Hawkins 
was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and 
was  eX'OMcio  President  of  the  Board  during  his  term  as  Governor. 

About  the  year  1805,  some  years  before  his  election  to  the  office 
of  Governor,  William  Hawkins  removed  from  Warren  to  Gran- 
ville County,  and  took  up  his  residence  on  a  plantation  on  Nut- 
bush  Creek,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Williamsboro.  Previous 
to  this  time,  on  the  24th  of  December,  1803,  he  had  been  united 
in  marriage  with  Ann  Swepson  Boyd.  To  this  union  were  bom 
seven  children.  They  were :  Emily,  who  married  James  Nuttall ; 
Matilda,  who  married  Doctor  Joseph  Nuttall;  Lucy,  who  first 
married  Doctor  Littleton  W.  Coleman,  and  afterwards  Honorable 
Henry  W.  Connor,  M.C. ;  William,  who  married  Miss  Carson; 


WILLIAM  HAWKINS  159 

Celestia,  who  married  Junius  Amis;  Henrietta,  who  married 
Junius  Amis  after  the  death  of  her  sister,  who  was  his  first  wife; 
Mary  Jane,  who  married  Major  Benjamin  Morrow. 

As  heretofore  noted,  William  Hawkins  spent  some  of  his  early 
years  at  the  Indian  Agency  in  Georgia,  as  assistant  to  his  uncle. 
Colonel  Benjamin  Hawkins.  A  younger  brother  of  William  was 
Captain  Philemon  Hawkins,  who  served  in  the  Army  of  the 
United  States  during  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  was 
honorably  mustered  out  on  June  15,  1815.  At  the  urgent  desire 
of  his  uncle,  this  young  gentleman  went  to  the  Creek  Agency  at 
Fort  Hawkins,  but  died  soon  after,  March  22,  1817.  Colonel 
Benjamin  Hawkins  himself  had  died  before  this,  on  the  6th  of 
June,  1 8 16,  leaving  a  large  fortune  to  his  wife  and  children,  with 
the  further  provision  that  a  child's  share  should  go  to  his  nephew 
William,  who  was  appointed  executor.  Governor  Hawkins  gen- 
erously declined  this  legacy,  but  qualified  as  his  uncle's  executor. 
After  this  he  made  visits  to  Georgia  for  the  purpose  of  winding 
up  the  estate;  but  being  attacked  with  a  pulmonary  disease,  he 
himself  did  not  long  survive.  His  death  occurred  at  Sparta, 
Georgia,  on  the  17th  of  May,  1819,  while  returning  from  Fort 
Hawkins  to  North  Carolina. 

The  career  of  Governor  Hawkins  forms  an  interesting  chapter 
in  the  history  of  North  Carolina,  filling  as  he  did  the  highest  office 
in  the  State  at  the  time  of  America's  second  war  with  Great 
Britain.  In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  united  the  wisdom  of 
a  statesman  with  the  firmness,  energy  and  incorruptibility  of  a 
patriot.  Nature  endowed  him  with  a  pleasing  countenance  and 
graceful  figure,  but  denied  him  the  robust  constitution  which 
usually  marked  the  members  of  his  family.  He  was  brave  when 
bravery  was  needed,  but  the  "small  sweet  courtesies  of  life"  shone 
brightly  in  his  daily  intercourse.  Of  his  ancestry  he  was  proud, 
but  it  was  a  quiet,  wholesome  pride,  far  removed  from  arrogance, 
and  a  stimulus  to  high  thoughts,  gentle  manners  and  generous 
actions. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood, 


JOHN  D.  HAWKINS 


POHN  DAVIS  HAWKINS,  a  son  of  Colonel 
Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.,  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  his  wife,  Lucy  Davis,  was  born  at 
his  father's  country  seat.  Pleasant  Hill,  in  the 
county  of  Warren,  on  the  15th  of  April,  1781. 
After  necessary  preparation  therefor,  he  en- 
tered the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  graduated  therefrom 
in  1 801.  He  always  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  Alma 
Mater  and  was  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Trustees  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  from  1807  until  his  death  in  1858.  Having  determined 
to  study  law,  he  became  a  pupil  of  Judge  John  Haywood  in  Frank- 
lin County.  One  of  his  fellow-students  during  the  time  occupied 
by  his  legal  course  was  John  Branch,  afterwards  Governor,  United 
States  Senator  and  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Mr.  Hawkins  practised  law  in  Raleigh  for  a  brief  period  and 
then  removed  to  a  plantation  owned  by  him  in  Franklin  County, 
near  the  corners  of  Granville  and  Warren  Counties.  This  place 
is  now  in  the  county  of  Vance.  He  engaged  in  planting  on  an 
extensive  scale  a  single  tract  owned  by  him,  embracing  nearly 
10,000  acres.  He  was  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  his  section, 
and  for  many  years  was  Presiding  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Pleas 
and  Quarter  Sessions. 

Mr.  Hawkins  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  an  adherent  of 
Andrew  Jackson.     Like  his  brother,  William    Hawkins    (then 


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JOHN  D.  HAWKINS  i6i 

Governor  of  the  State)  he  was  a  vigorous  supporter  of  war  meas- 
ures during  the  second  conflict  with  Great  Britain.  At  the  ses- 
sions of  the  General  Assembly  for  the  years  1834,  1836,  1838  and 
1840,  Mr.  Hawkins  represented  Franklin  County  with  marked 
ability  in  the  State  Senate  of  North  Carolina. 

Jn  Warren  County,  as  well  as  in  Franklin,  Mr.  Hawkins  owned 
large  agricultural  interests.  On  Sandy  Creek,  in  Warren  County, 
he  owned  a  large  flouring  mill  where  wheat  was  ground  on  toll. 
He  was  also  extensively  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco, 
shipping  this  product  to  Petersburg  for  market. 

Realizing  the  benefits  which  would  accrue  from  internal  im- 
provements to  citizens  of  the  State  in  general,  and  especially  to 
those  like  himself  who  were  compelled  to  have  products  shipped 
over  rough  scanty  roads  in  order  to  reach  a  market,  Mr.  Hawkins 
was  an  early  advocate  of  railroads  in  North  Carolina.  In  1848 
his  kinsman,  General  Micajah  Thomas  Hawkins  (former  Member 
of  Congress)  was  a  candidate  for  the  ofiice  of  State  Senator  from 
Warren  County,  and  was  known  to  be  opposed  to  the  policy  of 
internal  improvements.  As  the  question  of  chartering  the  North 
Carolina  Railroad  Company  and  giving  it  State  aid  was  to  come 
up  at  the  ensuing  session,  his  kinsman's  attitude  was  a  source  of 
a  good  deal  of  uneasiness  to  John  D.  Hawkins,  who  finally  pre- 
vailed on  A.  B.  Hawkins  (a  son  of  Doctor  Joseph  Hawkins  and 
not  to  be  confused  with  Doctor  A.  B.  Hawkins,  son  of  John  D. 
Hawkins)  to  become  a  candidate  on  a  platform  favorable  to  the 
proposed  charter  and  subscription  to  stock  by  the  State.  In  the 
election  A.  B.  Hawkins  was  successful,  and  it  was  well  for  the  rail- 
road company  and  for  the  State  that  such  was  the  case ;  for,  in  the 
Senate,  a  tie  vote  resulted,  and  the  casting  vote  of  the  Speaker, 
Honorable  Calvin  Graves,  won  the  fight  for  the  road.  Had  A.  B. 
Hawkins  been  defeated  by  M.  T.  Hawkins  in  Warren,  a  majority 
of  one  vote  in  the  Senate  against  the  charter  would  have  resulted. 
About  that  time  John  D.  Hawkins,  Joseph  Hawkins,  and  George 
W.  Mordecai  went  personal  security  to  the  extent  of  $400,000 
to  aid  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston  Railroad  in  its  building  operations. 
Subsequently  the  State  came  to  the  rescue  by  making  an  addi- 


i62  NORTH  CAROLINA 

tional  subscription  of  $400,000  to  its  stock,  and  these  public- 
spirited  gentlemen  were  thereby  saved  from  loss.  After  this 
$400,000  had  been  subscribed,  the  State  owned  one-half  the  road, 
and  private  stockholders  the  other  half. 

At  a  Hawkins  family  re-union  at  Pleasant  Hill,  the  country 
home  of  his  father,  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins,  Jr.,  in  Warren 
County,  in  1829,  John  D.  Hawkins  delivered  an  address  on  the 
life  and  career  of  his  grandfather.  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins, 
Sr.  This  pamphlet  was  one  of  the  earliest  works  of  its  kind  in 
America,  and  in  1906  was  reprinted  by  Doctor  A.  B.  Hawkins,  of 
Raleigh,  one  of  the  sons  of  John  D.  Hawkins,  its  author. 

The  death  of  John  D.  Hawkins  occurred  on  December  5,  1838. 
He  was  buried  in  Franklin  County,  but  later  his  remains  were  re- 
moved to  Oakwood  Cemetery,  near  Raleigh,  where  they  now  re- 
pose. The  wife  of  Mr.  Hawkins  (who  is  buried  by  his  side)  was 
Jane  A.  Boyd,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Boyd,  of  Boydton,  in 
Mecklenburg  County,  Virginia.  This  lady  was  born  December  25, 
1784,  and  died  November  30,  1875. 

The  sons  of  John  D.  Hawkins  were  James  Boyd  Hawkins,  of 
Matagorda  County,  Texas,  who  was  a  sugar-planter,  and  left 
descendants,  among  whom  is  James  B.  Brodie,  of  Henderson, 
North  Carolina;  Frank  Hawkins  (mentioned  below).  Doctor 
William  J.  Hawkins,  of  Raleigh,  of  whom  there  is  a  separate 
sketch;  John  Davis  Hawkins,  of  New  Orleans,  who  married 
Miss  Ann  Clark  and  was  a  large  commission  merchant  in  New 
Orleans;  he  left  two  sons,  Weldon  Edwards  Hawkins,  who  was 
a  planter  at  Swann  Lake  in  Mississippi,  and  Edward  Hawkins, 
a  lawyer,  residing  at  Seattle.  Philemon  Benjamin  Hawkins 
(another  son  of  John  D.)  married  his  cousin,  Fanny  Hawkins, 
and  had  a  daughter  Bettie,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Walter 
Boyd,  of  Warrenton ;  this  P.  B.  Hawkins  was  State  Senator  from 
Franklin  County.  Doctor  Alexander  Boyd  Hawkins  was  the 
youngest  son  of  John  D.  Hawkins,  and  his  biography  will  appear 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Besides  these  sons  John  D.  Hawkins 
left  the  following  daughters :  Ann  Hawkins,  who  married  Colonel 
Wesley  Young ;  Lucy,  who  married  Thomas  Kean,  of  New-Bern ; 


JOHN  D.  HAWKINS  163 

Mary,  who  married  Protheus  E.  A.  Jones;  Virginia,  who  mar- 
ried William  J.  Andrews,  one  of  their  sons  being  Colonel  A.  B. 
Andrews,  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Railroad ;  and  Jane  A. 
Hawkins,  who  died  unmarried. 

The  members  of  this  family  have  been  particularly  noteworthy 
for  their  culture  and  high  social  station  in  life.  While  inheriting 
the  fine  qualities  of  their  father,  the  influence  of  their  mother 
on  them  was  most  decided  and  of  great  advantage.  She  was  a 
lady  of  surpassing  excellence,  and  inspired  her  children  with 
unusual  devotion,  with  the  happiest  results  in  elevating  their 
characters  and  fostering  a  refinement  that  distinguished  them  in 
after  life. 

Frank  Hawkins  married  Ann  Read,  of  Halifax,  North 
Carolina,  and  located  at  Winona,  Montgomery  County,  Miss- 
issippi. They  had  a  son,  John,  who  early  died  in  Winona, 
Mississippi.  He  married  Miss  Sallie  Falkner,  of  Warrenton,  and 
left  Frank  Read  and  Ann  Read  Hawkins.  A  second  son,  Rhesa, 
while  yet  a  boy,  volunteered  in  the  Confederate  Army  and  served 
with  patriotic  devotion.  He  married  Miss  Herring  and  resided  at 
Vaiden,  Mississippi ;  Frank,  a  third  son,  who  also  married  a  Miss 
Herring,  and  on  her  death  married  Miss  Alberta  Coleman,  of 
Macon,  Georgia,  is  now  the  President  of  the  Third  National  Bank 
of  Atlanta. 

Besides  these  sons,  the  elder  Frank  Hawkins  left  a  daughter, 
Jane  Boyd,  who  married  Mr.  James  C.  Pumell,  of  Winona, 
Mississippi.  He  also  is  a  planter  and  banker.  Indeed  the  suc- 
cess of  Rhesa  Hawkins,  Mr.  Frank  Hawkins  and  Mr.  Pumell 
in  life  has  been  most  noteworthy.  They  are  all  bankers  and  have 
been  very  prosperous,  and  are  men  of  culture  and  influence 
both  in  church  and  State  matters.  Rhesa  Hawkins  and  Mr.  Pur- 
nell  are  esteemed  among  the  foremost  laymen  in  the  diocese  of 
Mississippi.  They  enjoy  the  highest  reputation  for  their  zeal 
as  churchmen  and  their  practical  Christianity. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


ALEXANDER  BOYD  HAWKINS 


^MONG  the  sons  of  John  Davis  Hawkins  and 
Jane  A.  Boyd  was  Doctor  A.  B.  Hawkins,  who 
was  born  at  his  father's  residence  in  Franklin 
County  on  January  25,  1825.  There  he  passed 
his  youth  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  cultured 
kinspeople  and  friends  and  surrounded  by  all  the 
happy  circurnstances  that  affluence  and  prosperity  bring  to  a  coun- 
try home.  He  was  taught  by  a  private  tutor  and  then  for  a  year 
studied  under  the  famous  teacher,  John  B.  Bobbitt,  at  Louisburg. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  sufficiently  advanced  to  enter 
the  University,  and  he  took  his  degree  of  A.B.  at  that  institution 
in  1845. 

His  purpose  was  to  pursue  a  professional  career,  and  so  on 
graduating  he  entered  on  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  School  in  Philadelphia,  whose  faculty  at  that  time  were 
men  whose  names  are  still  honored  for  their  distinguished  ability 
and  professional  learning.  After  graduating  at  that  institution, 
Doctor  Hawkins  remained  in  Philadelphia  attending  the  hospitals, 
and  profited  much  by  this  experience.  In  1847  ^^  returned  home, 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Warren  County. 

It  so  happened  that  Doctor  John  Malone,  who  had  a  good  prac- 
tice in  the  vicinity  of  Shocco  Springs,  desired  to  remove  to  an- 
other State,  and  Doctor  Hawkins  was  fortunately  able  to  purchase 
his  business,  and  thus  from  the  first  had  a  practice  that  closely 


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ALEXANDER  BOYD  HAWKINS  165 

engaged  him  and  was  amply  remunerative.  For  seven  years  he 
remained  the  physician  of  that  community,  enjoying  the  esteem 
of  a  large  clientage  and  realizing  a  handsome  remtmeration  for 
his  services  and  constantly  growing  in  reputation  and  usefulness. 

In  April,  1858,  he  married  Miss  Martha  L.  Bailey,  a  daughter 
of  General  William  Bailey,  of  Jefferson  County,  Florida,  who 
was  one  of  Florida's  most  successful  and  distinguished  citizens; 
and  he  abandoned  his  practice  and  removed  to  Florida,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  business  of  planting.  He  made  his  home  in  Leon 
County,  and  soon  entered  on  as  successful  a  career  as  a  planter 
as  had  distinguished  him  as  a  physician.  His  planting  operations 
yielded  him  an  ample  income  and  he  devoted  himself  assiduously 
to  the  improvement  of  his  estate.  It  was  not  long  before  his  suc- 
cessful management  was  so  pronounced  that  his  reputation  became 
extended  as  a  sagacious  planter,  and  he  attained  a  high  standing 
in  his  new  home. 

One  who  knew  him  well  at  that  time  says : 

"He  resided  for  some  years  on  his  plantation  in  Leon  County,  where 
he  and  his  most  estimable  wife  dispensed  a  generous  hospitality,  known 
only  to  the  plantation  life  of  antebellum  days.  Doctor  Hawkins  was  not 
only  a  genial  gentleman,  but  one  of  the  fine  business  men  of  the  South. 
His  success  as  a  large  planter  was  soon  demonstrated,  and  he  at  once 
took  a  stand  as  one  of  the  successful  young  men  of  the  county." 

The  management  of  a  large  plantation  indeed  called  for  the 
exercise  of  a  high  order  of  ability,  and  gave  a  mental  training 
that  developed  the  business  capacity  of  Southern  gentlemen. 
Prudence,  carefulness,  patience,  a  thoughtful  consideration  of  the 
elements  involved  in  the  problems  of  plantation  culture,  were  all 
requisite  to  achieve  success  and  to  bring  good  results.  And  so 
plantation  life,  while  full  of  enjoyments  and  admitting  of  the  finest 
hospitality,  yet  developed  administrative  abilities,  fostered  busi- 
ness habits  and  business  sagacity.  Thus  it  has  been  that  Southern 
planters  have  from  time  immemorial  been  well  versed  in  affairs 
and  of  superior  excellence  in  those  characteristics  that  lead  to 
success. 

After  the  war  Doctor  Hawkins  removed  to  Tallahassee,  where 


i66  NORTH  CAROLINA 

he  resided  in  the  palatial  brick  building  on  Park  Avenue,  now 
known  as  "The  Columns."  There  the  hospitality  which  he  had 
dispensed  on  his  plantation  broadened  out,  and  "few  public  men 
of  note  who  visited  the  capital  cannot  but  recall  with  pleasure  the 
cordial  greetings  of  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Hawkins  at  their  elegant 
home."  "He  displayed  remarkable  ability  in  everything  he  under- 
took. Indeed  he  was  soon  recognized  throughout  the  State  as  one 
of  Florida's  most  reliable  and  successful  business  men.  His  use- 
fulness as  a  citizen  was  demonstrated  in  many  and  various  chan- 
nels, and  everything  he  touched  felt  the  quickening  influences  of  a 
well-trained  business  intellect." 

Honorable  P.  W.  White,  a  gentleman  of  large  experience  and 
now  of  great  age,  in  a  letter  speaks  in  the  most  approving  terms 
of  the  part  Doctor  Hawkins  took  "in  the  most  trying  times  of  our 
history."  He  says,  in  speaking  of  his  eventful  career  while  a  citi- 
zen of  Florida : 

"Doctor  Hawkins's  political  affiliations  were  with  the  Democratic  Party, 
of  which  he  was  a  conservative  member,  and  he  always  stood  firmly  for 
the  old  States  Rights  doctrines  and  principles  of  the  party.  I  do  not 
think  he  ever  sought  or  accepted  a  political  office;  but  as  a  private  citizen 
he  always  showed  his  interest  for  the  public  good  by  taking  an  active  part 
in  all  of  the  proceedings  and  conventions  of  his  party.  In  this  manner  he 
exerted  a  strong  influence  in  the  selection  of  men  best  qualified  for  public 
office." 

He  was  frequently  a  delegate  to  the  State  Democratic  Conven- 
tion, and  his  influence  was  always  felt  in  poUtical  action. 

His  standing  as  a  man  of  high  character  throughout  the  State 
and  his  recognized  sound  judgment  as  a  financier  gave  him  great 
influence  in  public  affairs — of  which  indeed  the  State  still  feels  the 
beneficial  effect.     Judge  White  continues: 

"Doctor  Hawkins's  business  habits  were  ever  characterized  by  prudence 
and  careful  thought,  and  in  whatever  business  he  engaged  he  always  acted 
on  business  principles.  In  the  destructive  days  of  Reconstruction  he 
saved  not  only  his  own  but  many  other  estates  from  wreck.  He  excelled 
all  the  men  of  my  acquaintance  in  the  wise  and  successful  administration  of 
all  estates  and  trusts  committed  to  his  management." 


ALEXANDER  BOYD  HAWKINS  167 

It  had  happened  indeed  that  Doctor  Hawkins  had  become 
guardian  to  many  orphans,  and  was  trustee  of  many  large  landed 
estates,  and  he  managed  them  so  well  that  in  many  cases  he  added 
to  their  value  and,  in  addition  to  the  income,  when  the  trust  was 
over  surrendered  the  property  more  valuable  than  when  he  re- 
ceived it 

When  he  removed  to  Florida  he  retained  his  fine  plantation 
in  Franklin  County  and  owned  a  large  flouring  mill  on  Sandy 
Creek  in  Warren  County,  and  all  during  the  war  he  continued  this 
mill  in  successful  operation,  and  for  several  years  afterward, 
when  he  sold  it.  His  reputation  as  a  business  man  was  unsur- 
passed in  Florida.  For  more  than  five  years  he  held  the  position 
of  receiver  of  the  Florida  Central  and  Peninsula  Railroad,  under 
appointment  of  the  United  States  District  Court.  This  road  was 
at  that  period  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  State,  and  as  re- 
ceiver Doctor  Hawkins  had  the  management  not  only  of  its  finan- 
cial affairs,  but  had  practical  charge  of  all  the  details  of  its  opera- 
tion. His  administration  gave  entire  satisfaction  to  all  interested 
in  its  proper  management,  and  he  displayed  not  only  unusual 
financial  ability  but  administrative  capacity  of  a  high  order.  His 
accounts  were  large,  varied  and  difficult  but  were  kept  with  such 
fidelity,  carefulness  and  skill  that  when  audited  they  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  auditors  and  received  the  praise  of  the  Court. 

In  1884  Doctor  Hawkins  began  the  culture  of  sweet  oranges 
and  grape-fruit,  and  he  was  very  successful  in  this  enterprise,  that 
business  having  since  become  so  important  to  the  State  of  Florida. 
However,  in  1895  that  region  was  visited  by  a  severe  frost,  which 
killed  his  trees,  and  he  then  largely  abandoned  it.  In  1884  he 
began  to  make  his  Summer  home  in  Raleigh,  and  built  his  hand- 
some residence  on  Blount  Street,  where  he  has  since  permanently 
resided. 

Judge  White,  speaking  of  his  life  in  Florida,  says: 

"In  social  life  he  was  frank  and  cordial  and  had  the  happy  faculty  of 
winning  friends  wherever  he  went.  His  hospitality  was  dispensed  in  a 
free  and  easy  manner,  and  his  guests  ever  felt  honored  by  the  kind  and 
gracious  reception  accorded  them  by  his  charming  family.     It  was  in  his 


i68  NORTH  CAROLINA 

home  life  where  his  character  shone  in  its  true  and  brightest  light.  He 
has  been  more  missed,  and  his  loss  more  felt,  than  any  other  citizen  who 
has  left  our  State." 

Judge  White  then  speaks  of  the  many  useful  days  Doctor  Haw- 
kins spent  "among  the  people  of  Florida,  whom  he  loved,  and 
who  still  love  and  honor  him  for  the  good  he  has  done." 

Locating  permanently  in  1894  in  Raleigh,  Doctor  Hawkins 
at  once  became  an  influential  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the  city,  and 
for  some  ten  or  twelve  years  has  been  a  director  in  the  Citizens' 
Bank,  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  financial  institutions  in  North 
Carolina.  He  has  large  and  varied  interests  and  is  justly  esteemed 
not  merely  for  his  financial  abilities,  but  for  his  fine  social  quali- 
ties and  admirable  characteristics. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


r-i-^A;.  f  S\  M,  \_vn  P  L 


K 


\\ 


uahly  and  r.:.;'  i   * 
coniiiiuniti.t'N,    n  . 
I lavvk'ins  'n  cap '   ' 
l^reat  ^u^<  v^^  caM-' 
ticLiI;*;-ly  n  i.vi  '^  .' 
fe\v  Xnnh,  I  r- 
I'll  Tiia^(ai;<Miu  ..^ 

Dncvsr  lla  ■ 
C^'"a'ity,   Xonh   < 
falht'r  heiiii^  ni   .« 
chcri^lu'd   culture   ;- 
nit^ntal  trai.iir'LT.  at  ," 
place* I  ntuk-r  Xhc  ^''iiitl..' 
.'  illcM^e.  he  ent'-red  the  I   . 
ronrdiUHl  at  ti-c  l'niver^''\ 
iK'lient  tor  bin:  t()  ^o  ic^  \ 
■  '■'  w  <*s  so  \\  ell  a-Ivani  t  c    '■ 

wr'v  a».  \\  iliiam  aTnl  M. 
*■    'in'nion.      It  was  ju. .; 


J- 


WILLIAM  J.    HAWKINS 

'HE  third  son  of  Colonel  John  Davis  Hawkins 
was  Doctor  William  J.  Hawkins,  who  for  many 
years  was  President  of  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston 
Railroad  Company,  and  was  a  well-known 
business  man  of  Raleigh.  While  all  the  sons 
of  Colonel  Hawkins  were  men  of  fine  intellect- 
uality and  filled  a  large  place  in  business  affairs  in  their  respective 
communities,  none  of  the  brothers  surpassed  Doctor  William 
Hawkins  in  capacity  and  in  administrative  ability.  To  them  all 
great  success  came  in  life,  but  Doctor  Hawkins's  career  was  par- 
ticularly remarkable,  and  indeed  it  has  been  vouchsafed  to  but 
few  North  Carolinians  to  equal  him  in  business  affairs  and  master- 
ful management. 

Doctor  Hawkins  was  born  at  his  father's  residence  in  Franklin 
County,  North  Carolina,  on  the  27th  day  of  May,  1819.  His 
father  being  in  affluent  circumstances,  and  his  family  one  that 
cherished  culture  and  rightfully  appreciated  the  advantages  of 
mental  training,  at  an  early  age  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
placed  under  the  guidance  of  private  tutors,  and  when  ready  for 
college,  he  entered  the  University  of  North  Carolina  in  1837.  He 
remained  at  the  University  two  years,  and  then  it  was  thought  ex- 
pedient for  him  to  go  to  William  and  Mary  College  in  Virginia. 
He  was  so  well  advanced  in  his  studies  that  after  a  single  year's 
course  at  William  and  Mary  he  graduated  at  that  institution  with 
distinction.     It  was  proposed  that  he  should  seek  a  professional 


170  NORTH  CAROLINA 

career,  and  although  gifted  with  a  mind  Ihat  eminently  fitted  him 
for  the  bar,  he  chose  the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  1842  he  grad- 
uated in  the  medical  department  of  the  Universitj^  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Indeed  his  gentle  manner,  his  habit  of  thought,  his  astute 
apprehension  and  his  unusual  powers  of  observation  well  quali- 
fied him  for  the  duties  of  the  bedside.  He  located  at  Ridgeway,  not 
far  distant  from  his  childhood's  home,  and  being  admirably 
equipped,  entered  on  the  successful  practice  of  his  profession. 
His  skill  and  talents  and  accomplishments  soon  found  apprecia- 
tion and  he  won  his  way  steadily  in  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity. But  he  was  destined  to  a  career  in  a  larger  and  more 
useful  field. 

His  father,  Colonel  Hawkins,  and  other  members  of  the  family^ 
animated  by  a  progressive  spirit  and  an  intelligent  apprehension 
of  the  needs  and  requirements  of  the  section  in  which  they  livedo 
had  for  many  years  been  warm  promoters  of  internal  improve- 
ments. They  were  largely  interested  particularly  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston  Railroad,  and  had  given  important 
financial  aid  in  the  completion  and  operation  of  that  road. 
Doctor  Hawkins  had  been  one  of  the  directors  of  the  company  and 
represented  a  considerable  private  interest.  His  fine  sense,  his 
unerring  judgment  and  unusual  capacity  gave  him  a  prominence 
in  the  affairs  of  the  company  that  in  1855  led  to  his  election  as 
its  president.  He  was  now  in  a  field  well  suited  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  particular  talents.  There  were  three  great  railroads 
in  North  Carolina  at  that  time :  the  Wilmington  and  Weldon,  the 
North  Carolina,  and  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston.  The  president  of  each 
stood  high  in  railroad  circles,  but  Doctor  Hawkins  enjoyed  a  rep- 
utation for  management  equal  to  the  best.  Under  his  direction 
the  Raleigh  and  Gaston  Railroad  Company  entered  on  a  new  career 
of  prosperity. 

The  benefit  that  accrued  to  the  State  from  his  placing  the 
Raleigh  and  Gaston  Railroad  in  a  condition  of  high  efficiency  was 
incalculable.  When  the  war  came  on  he  was  ardently  attached 
to  the  Confederate  cause  and  he  threw  his  whole  soul  into  render- 
ing efficient  service  to  his  State  and  country.    His  line  was  a  most 


WILLIAM  J.  HAWKINS  171 

important  link  in  transportation,  for  there  was  no  road  then  from 
Greensboro  to  Danville ;  and  all  the  troops  from  the  South,  stores 
and  supplies  had  to  pass  through  Weldon.  In  those  days  of  emer- 
gency he  strained  every  nerve  to  maintain  his  line  in  a  good  run- 
ning order.  The  difficulties  that  beset  the  railroads  of  the  Con- 
federacy during  that  period  were  beyond  conception.  The  de- 
mands for  transportation  were  largely  increased  and  in  many  in- 
stances pressing  necessity  compelled  the  greatest  haste.  There 
were  no  facilities  to  renew  either  rolling  stock  or  the  railroad  iron 
or  any  of  the  appliances  requisite  to  maintain  the  engines,  cars  or 
road  bed  in  repair.  The  problems  that  came  up  daily  taxed  the 
energies  of  the  railroad  managers  to  their  utmost,  and  as  the  work 
of  the  transportation  lines  was  most  important,  so  the  services 
rendered  to  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy  by  Doctor  Hawkins  and 
the  other  presidents  of  the  railroad  companies  were  not  less  use- 
ful than  those  of  successful  generals  on  the  field  of  battle.  To- 
ward the  end  of  the  struggle  the  various  roads  were  indeed  worn 
out,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  trains  could  be  run  at  all. 
Military  necessity  had  pushed  the  construction  of  the  Chatham 
road  to  the  coal  fields  in  Deep  River,  and  after  peace  was  declared 
that  road  fell  into  possession  of  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston,  that 
sought  to  complete  it  under  the  name  of  the  Raleigh  and  Augusta 
Air  Line. 

Doctor  Hawkins  had  comprehensive  ideas  of  railroad  manage- 
ment. He  sought  to  bring  about  a  close  business  connection  be- 
tween his  roads  and  the  North  Carolina  Railroad,  and  had  the 
design  to  lease  the  North  Carolina  Railroad,  which  should  in 
its  turn  lease  a  line  from  Charlotte  to  Atlanta.  His  great  ideas 
were  somewhat  in  advance  of  his  time,  but  his  policy  has  since 
been  adopted  and  carried  into  effect  by  others.  While  he  did  not 
secure  for  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston  the  control  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina, his  Seaboard  system  has  been  pressed  to  the  South  and  has 
become  one  of  the  three  great  systems  of  the  South  Atlantic 
States;  and  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  he  was  the  original 
projector  of  this  closer  connection  of  the  several  lines  that  have 
since  his  day  been  consolidated.    Indeed  it  may  be  said  that  he  was 


172  NORTH  CAROLINA 

one  of  the  wisest,  most  progressive  and  far-seeing  of  the  railroad 
men  of  the  South ;  and  it  was  only  because  of  the  limited  financial 
facilities  of  his  time,  when  the  South  was  still  in  an  impoverished 
condition,  before  the  era  of  its  great  prosperity,  that  he  did  not 
carry  into  effect  the  large  projects  which  he  realized  would  be  so 
much  to  the  advantage  of  his  lines  and  of  the  people. 

He  remained  president  of  his  company  until  October,  1875, 
when  because  of  ill-health,  for  he  was  a  great  sufferer  from 
rheumatism,  he  retired,  and,  abandoning  his  railroad  business, 
devoted  himself  to  his  private  affairs. 

IXKtor  Hawkins  was  a  large  stockholder  and  a  director  in  the 
Raleigh  National  Bank,  which  was  the  first  bank  organized  under 
the  Ignited  States  Banking  Law  in  this  State;  and  in  1870  he 
founded  the  Citizens*  National  Bank  of  Raleigh.  He  selected 
as  the  president  of  that  institution  Colonel  William  E.  Anderson, 
who  was  a  well-trained  bank  officer,  and  had  been  connected  with 
the  Raleigh  National  Bank ;  and  on  Colonel  Anderson's  death  in 
i8i)0  he  himself  took  the  position  of  president.  From  the  first 
the  bank  was  a  success*  and  his  management  was  most  advan- 
tagtxnis.  No  one  enjoyed  a  higher  reputation  for  skill  and  finan- 
cial ability  than  he  did,  and  his  achievement  in  connection  with 
the  Citixens*  National  Bank  was  indeed  remarkable.  Since  his 
death  the  institution  has  o^ntinued  to  flourish,  and  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Joseph  G,  Brown  has  attained  a  standing  not  surpassed 
by  any  other  financial  institution  in  the  South,  But  it  must  be  re- 
n>ember^i  that  its  unvarNing  success  is  only  the  fruition  of  his 
w\>rk.  He  laid  tlK  foimdations  and  set  the  course  that  has  since 
been  pursueil. 

As  a  busint^ss  man,  IXvtor  Hawkins  was  unsurpassed.  ''Al- 
ways cvx>l  and  seh-ix^isevi.  cautious  and  clear-headed,  deliberate 
in  c\Hins<^,  but  fim\  when  a  cvMKlusion  had  been  reached,  gifted 
with  quick  percej^tions  and  pots^^essing  a  ren"*arkaWy  sound  judg- 
ment, he  cvvtibitK\l  thv>se  elen^nts  that  hjive  entered  into  the  char- 
acter v^f  the  distii>^\iishevl  n^rti^.bers  of  hts  family  in  past  genera- 
tk^\s  arvl  which  wvuM  haN-e  asstired  htn^  consptcoous  success  in 
an>   v!vi\ir::txnt  of  activity  that  he  nticht    ha^-e    chc^seiL**     His 


WILLIAM  J.  HAWKINS  173 

tastes,  however,  led  him  to  a  business  career  and  not  into  public 
life.  He  did  not  care  to  take  part  in  the  scramble  for  office,  and 
though  always  warmly  interested  in  political  contests,  he  never 
held  any  official  station  in  Government.  Nevertheless,  he  had 
a  strong  influence,  and  this  he  exerted  in  public  affairs  always  for 
the  advantage  of  the  public  interests.  When  he  had  leisure  frc»n 
the  pressing  calls  of  his  business,  in  1881  he  became  a  trustee  of 
the  University  and  continued  as  such  until  his  death ;  and  he  at- 
tended with  much  interest  to  the  affairs  of  that  institution,  warmly 
promoting  all  plans  for  its  improvement. 

Doctor  Hawkins  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Alethea 
Qark,  a  daughter  of  David  Clark,  Esq.,  of  Halifax  County,  on 
January  4,  1844.  By  her  he  had  two  sons :  Colin  M.  Hawkins, 
an  esteemed  citizen  of  Raleigh,  and  Marmaduke  J.  Hawkins,  of 
Ridgeway.  Mrs.  Hawkins  died  in  September,  1850,  and  on  De- 
cember 27,  1855,  Doctor  Hawkins  married  Miss  Lucy  N.  Qark, 
by  whom  he  had  two  daughters — Loula,  who  became  the  wife 
of  William  T.  McGee,  of  Raleigh ;  and  Alethea,  who  married  J.  M. 
Lamar,  of  Monticello,  Florida.  On  October  9,  1867,  Mrs.  Lucy 
Hawkins  died;  and  on  the  12th  of  May,  1869,  Doctor  Hawkins 
married  Miss  Mary  A.  White,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  B.  White, 
of  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania.  By  this  marriage  Doctor  Hawkins 
had  one  daughter,  Miss  Lucy  C.  Hawkins,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Sherwood  Higgs,  of  Raleigh. 

Toward  the  end  of  his  life  Doctor  Hawkins  was  a  great 
sufferer  from  his  old  enemy,  rheumatism,  but  his  mind  re- 
mained ever  clear  and  strong,  and  his  judgment  was  unclouded 
and  he  continued  to  transact  business  with  a  sagacity  that  marked 
him  as  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  North  Carolina.  On  October 
28,  1894,  while  on  a  visit  to  Philadelphia,  he  passed  away,  mourned 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

5".  A.  Ashe. 


ANDREW   JACKSON 


(HE  most  notable  and  most  famous  man  ever 
born  in  North  Carolina  was  Andrew  Jackson. 
He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  grand- 
father, Hugh  Jackson,  was  a  linen  draper,  in  the 
old  town  of  Carrickfergus,  near  Belfast,  Ire- 
land. A  son  of  Hugh  Jackson,  Andrew  married 
in  Ireland  Elizabeth  Hutchinson,  and  had  by  her,  born  in  Ireland, 
two  sons,  Hugh  and  Robert.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  poor  man, 
and  his  wife's  family  were  also  poor,  her  sisters  being  linen 
weavers.  In  1765,  Andrew  Jackson,  his  brother-in-law,  James 
Crawford,  and  his  wife's  brother-in-law,  George  McKemey,  and 
other  relatives  moved  with  their  families  to  America.  Arriving 
at  Charleston  they  located  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  where  many 
of  their  Scotch-Irish  friends  had  preceded  them.  George  Mc- 
Kemey bought  land  on  Waxhaw  Creek,  some  six  miles  from  the 
Catawba  River  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the  bound- 
ary line  between  North  and  South  Carolina.  Andrew  Jackson  set- 
tled on  Twelve  Mile  Creek  (a  few  miles  from  the  site  of  the  town 
of  Monroe,  the  county  seat  of  Union  County),  then  in  Anson 
County,  North  Carolina.  He  was  too  poor  to  obtain  title  to  his 
land ;  and  having  built  a  log  house  and  cleared  some  fields,  in  the 
Spring  of  1767  he  sickened  and  died.  His  remains  were  borne 
to  the  old  Waxhaw  Churchyard  and  there  interred.  His  widow 
did  not  return  home  from  the  interment,  but  went  to  the  house  of 


ANDREW  JACKSON  175 

her  sister,  Mrs.  McKemey,  near-by,  and  there  a  few  days  later,  on 
the  15th  of  March,  1767,  Andrew  Jackson  was  bom.  Governor 
Swain  says  that  in  a  journey  in  June,  1849,  ^^  ^^ok  some  pains 
to  ascertain  the  precise  locality  which  gave  birth  to  General  Jack- 
son and  to  James  K.  Polk,  who  were  bom  in  the  same  county, 
Mecklenburg.  The  spot  where  Jackson  was  born  could  be  identi- 
fied. It  was  about  twenty-eight  miles  south  of  Charlotte,  and  the 
birthplace  of  President  Polk  was  eleven  miles  south  of  Charlotte. 
Mrs.  Jackson  remained  with  Mrs.  McKemey  some  weeks,  and  then 
moved  to  the  house  of  another  sister,  Mrs.  Crawford,  some  two 
miles  distant,  but  in  South  Carolina;  and  there  she  remained  as 
one  of  that  family  until  her  death  in  1781.  Her  son  Andrew,  al- 
though born  in  North  Carolina,  passed  his  younger  years  just 
across  the  line.  He  attended  the  old  field  schools  and  did  such 
work  as  a  country  boy  would  do,  until  at  length,  in  1780,  war 
came  close  to  their  doors.  His  brother  Hugh  was  in  the  battle  of 
Stono  and  died  there.  Andrew,  then  thirteen  years  of  age,  and 
his  brother  Robert  were  with  the  patriots  in  the  attack  on  Hang- 
ing Rock,  but  were  not  regularly  attached  to  any  command.  After 
the  battle  of  Camden,  Mrs.  Jackson,  seeking  a  more  secure  lo- 
cality, left  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  and  took  her  two  boys  to  a 
relative's  house  some  miles  north  of  Charlotte;  but  she  retumed 
to  Waxhaw  in  February,  1781,  Cornwallis  having  then  retired. 
At  that  time  Andrew  Jackson  was  tall  and  had  outgrown  his 
strength,  but  he  had  the  spirit  of  a  man.  In  the  partizan  warfare 
which  ensued  when  Lord  Rawdon  approached  Waxhaw,  both 
Robert  and  Andrew  Jackson  participated.  They  were  taken 
prisoners  in  a  raid  made  by  Tories  and  British  dragoons,  were 
bmtally  wounded,  and  were  confined  at  Camden.  Mrs.  Jackson, 
however,  was  able  to  secure  their  exchange  after  they  had  suffered 
much  from  their  confinement  and  from  their  wounds ;  and  in  the 
meantime  they  had  besides  contracted  the  smallpox.  With  great 
difficulty  she  managed  to  get  them  home.  Two  days  later  Robert 
died ;  and  it  was  only  after  several  months  that  Andrew  recovered. 
In  the  Summer  of  1781,  says  Parton,  in  his  admirable  Life 
of  Andrew  Jackson,  *'a  great  cry  of  anguish  and  despair  came  up 


176  NORTH  CAROLINA 

to  Waxhaw  from  the  Charleston  prison  ships,  wherein,  among 
many  hundreds  of  other  prisoners,  were  confined  some  of  the  sons 
of  Mrs.  Jackson's  sisters,  and  other  friends  and  neighbors  of  hers 
from  the  Waxhaw  country.  Andrew  was  no  sooner  quite  out  of 
danger  than  his  brave  mother  resolved  to  go  to  Charleston  and  do 
what  she  could  for  the  comfort  of  the  prisoners  there.  While 
stopping  at  the  house  of  a  relative,  William  Barton  by  name,  who 
lived  two  miles  and  a  half  from  Charleston,  Mrs.  Jackson  was 
seized  with  ship  fever,  and  after  a  short  illness  died.  And  so 
Andrew,  before  reaching  his  fifteenth  birthday,  was  an  orphan, 
a  sick  and  sorrowful  orphan,  bereft  of  parents  and  without 
brother  or  sister,  homeless  and  dependent.  It  has  been  said 
that  he  taught  school  for  a  year  or  two ;  and  then  after  one  year 
of  hesitancy,  during  which  he  gave  rein  to  his  horse-racing  in- 
clinations, he  concluded  to  study  law.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he 
began  the  study  of  the  law  with  Spruce  Macay  at  Salisbury.  He 
seems,  however,  to  have  devoted  more  thought  to  amusement  and 
pleasure  than  to  his  books.  After  studying  a  year  or  so  with 
Judge  Macay,  he  finished  his  course  under  Colonel  John  Stokes, 
in  Surry,  and  then  passed  a  year  at  Martinsburg,  the  old  county 
seat  of  Guilford  County. 

At  the  November  Term,  1787,  of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter 
Sessions  of  Surry  County,  the  following  minute  was  made: 

"William  Cupples  and  Andrew  Jackson,  Esquires,  each  produced  a  license 
from  the  Honorable  Samuel  Ashe  and  John  Williams,  Esquires,  two  of 
the  judges  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Equity,  authorizing  and  em- 
powering them  to  practice  as  attorneys  in  the  several  Courts  of  Pleas  and 
Quarter  Sessions  within  this  State,  with  testimonials  of  their  having  here- 
tofore taken  the  necessary  oaths,  and  are  admitted  to  practice  in  this 
court." 

In  the  Spring  of  1788,  having  his  license  to  practice  law,  An- 
drew Jackson  was  appointed  prosecuting  officer  of  the  Superior 
Court,  then  just  established  in  the  Nashville  district  of  Tennessee, 
which  Judge  John  McNairy  was  appointed  to  hold.  Shortly  after- 
ward the  judge,  Jackson,  and  some  other  young  lawyers  met  at 
Morganton  and  began  their  horseback  ride  to  Tennessee.    It  was 


ANDREW  JACKSON  177 

a  perilous  journey,  particularly  between  Campbell  Station  and 
Nashville ;  and  in  that  part  of  the  route  they  were  attended  by  a 
guard,  and  about  sixty  families  were  of  the  party. 

Arriving  at  Nashville,  Jackson  at  once  entered  on  the  practice, 
which  from  the  beginning  was  lucrative.  His  position  as  prose- 
cuting officer  was  one  of  importance  and  brought  him  speedy 
reputation  and  influence,  and  for  years  he  was  employed  in  the 
greater  part  of  the  civil  litigation  in  his  courts. 

The  experiences  of  the  war  had  made  their  impress  on  his  char- 
acter and  disposition,  which  was  fiery,  brave  and  determined ;  and 
now  in  the  wilderness  of  Tennessee  he  was  brought  into  close  con- 
tact with  unfriendly  Indians.  Between  1780  and  1794,  within  seven 
miles  of  Nashville,  the  Indians  killed  one  person  in  about  every  ten 
days.  In  Jackson's  travels  he  was  constantly  in  peril  from  the 
murderous  red  man.  And  so  the  circumstances  of  his  life  de- 
veloped in  him  courage,  coolness  and  intrepidity,  and  his  natural 
combative  characteristics  were  fostered  and  became  so  fixed  that 
they  dominated  his  course  throughout  his  entire  career.  Whether 
engaged  in  the  court-house  or  in  military  operations,  or  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  civil  affairs  in  the  high  positions  to  which  he  at- 
tained, he  would  brook  no  opposition  and  was  a  fighter  of  the 
most  determined  character.  An  incident  is  recorded  that  will  il- 
lustrate his  promptness  to  right  a  wrong.  In  the  trial  of  a  cause  in' 
a  court  in  Tennessee,  he  conceived  that  Honorable  Waightstill 
Avery  had  insulted  him,  and  tearing  the  flyleaf  from  a  law  book, 
he  wrote  him  in  a  minute  a  challenge  and  handed  it  to  him.  The 
duel  came  off  on  the  adjournment  of  court,  but  fortunately  neither 
was  wounded. 

His  education  was  not  a  finished  one ;  he  did  not  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  collegiate  training,  and  while  he  never  overcame  his 
deficiencies  in  the  use  of  words,  and  never  perfected  himself  in 
spelling  or  pronunciation  according  to  the  most  correct  standards, 
yet  his  ideas  were  clear,  and  he  could  express  them  with  a  vigor 
and  force  that  begot  a  natural  eloquence. 

In  1791  Andrew  Jackson  married  a  Mrs.  Robards,  a  daughter 
of  a  Mrs.  Donelson,  with  whom  he  fotmd  board  on  first  reaching 


178  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Nashville ;  and  although  they  had  no  children,  they  were  devotedly 
attached  to  each  other  throughout  life.  She,  however,  died  just 
before  his  inauguration  as  President  in  1829. 

In  1796  the  Territory  of  Tennessee  formed  a  State  Constitution. 
Jackson  was  elected  a  delegate  from  Davidson  County  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  and  was  a  member  of  the  special  com- 
mittee that  framed  the  Constitution.  By  that  time  he  had  attained 
a  high  position  in  Tennessee,  and  doubtless  he  impressed  himself 
strongly  on  the  Constitution,  which  was  a  very  admirable  funda- 
mental law  of  a  new  State.  Tennessee  being  admitted  to  the 
Union,  Jackson  was  in  the  same  year  elected  the  only  representa- 
tive in  Congress  the  State  was  entitled  to,  and  took  his  seat  in 
that  body.  His  political  views  were  strongly  Republican,  and  he 
voted  with  Macon  and  others  who  thought  like  Jefferson.  A  va- 
cancy occurring  in  the  Senate  the  next  year,  Jackson  was  elected 
by  the  Tennessee  Legislature  to  that  body,  but  after  one  session 
as  Senator,  he  resigned  and  returned  home.  It  was  in  1796,  while 
Jackson  was  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia,  that  he  accidentally  ob- 
tained information  that  the  land  frauds,  in  which  Glasgow  and 
his  associates  were  engaged,  were  being  perpetrated,  and  his 
honest  nature  at  once  led  him  to  bring  the  matter  to  the  attention 
of  Governor  Ashe  of  North  Carolina.  The  explosion  of  which 
he  was  thus  the  innocent  cause  was  attended  with  great  consterna- 
tion among  those  holding  fraudulent  titles  in  Tennessee,  and 
Jackson  became  an  object  of  their  malevolence.  But  soon  after 
he  retired  from  the  Senate  the  Legislature  elected  him  a  Judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Tennessee,  a  court  that  tried  causes  in  the 
different  counties ;  and  he  served  on  the  bench  for  six  years. 

At  the  age  of  thirtj'-seven  Jackson  had  served  some  eight  years 
as  Solicitor,  t^^'0  years  as  Representative  and  Senator  in  Congress, 
and  six  years  on  the  highest  court  of  his  State.  Retiring  from  the 
bench  in  1804,  he  devoted  himself  more  particularly  to  planting, 
his  home  being  then  near  the  subsequently  famous  Hermitage,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Nashville.  He  also  engaged  in  mercantile  business, 
which,  however,  was  chiefly  conducted  by  his  partner.  General 
Coffee. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  179 

He  had  always  kept  in  touch  with  military  affairs,  and  was  gen- 
eral of  the  Tennessee  militia.  His  influential  position  led  Aaron 
Burr,  when  contemplating  his  movement  at  the  Southwest,  to  visit 
Jackson  and  seek  to  enlist  his  aid  in  the  enterprise.  To  some  ex- 
tent Jackson  helped  him,  but  on  learning  that  there  was  a  pos- 
sibility of  a  treasonable  intent,  he  warned  Governor  Claiborne  at 
New  Orleans.  However,  he  became  reassured  that  Burr  had  not 
contemplated  treason,  and  on  being  summoned  as  a  witness  against 
Burr  at  the  trial  at  Richmond,  he  was  loud  in  Burr's  defence,  and 
he  then  broke  with  President  Jefferson,  but  continued  to  be  a  Re- 
publican in  his  political  views.  It  is  not  proposed  here  to  develop 
those  events  in  his  career  which  belong  to  general  history  and 
have  but  little  bearing  on  North  Carolina  matters ;  suffice  it  to  say 
that  Jackson  allowed  no  man  to  excel  him  in  devotion  to  the  Union, 
in  lofty  patriotism,  in  personal  honor,  and  high  ideals,  while  his 
military  career  was  fortunate  and  glorious,  and  he  became  the 
hero  of  his  day  because  of  his  victory  at  New  Orleans  and  un- 
varying success  on  every  field  of  battle. 

Whatever  had  been  Andrew  Jackson's  early  deficiencies  of  edu- 
cation, they  had  almost  entirely  disappeared,  and  he  took  rank 
among  the  first  men  of  America.  He  was  not  only  a  popular  hero, 
but  was  recognized  as  a  clear-headed  statesman. 

After  the  War  of  1812  the  Federalist  Party  ceased  to  exist  as 
an  organization,  although  a  large  element  remained  faithful  to  their 
principles.  But  the  great  leaders  being  all  Republicans,  it  was  a 
period  of  fierce  factional  warfare,  fostered  by  the  personal  ambi- 
tions of  men. 

In  1822  and  1823  Major  William  B.  Lewis,  of  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, undertook  to  bring  General  Jackson  out  as  a  candidate  for 
the  Presidency  to  succeed  Monroe.  It  so  happened  that  in  1816 
General  Jackson  had  written  a  letter  to  President  Monroe,  sug- 
gesting that  he  should  disregard  old  party  differences  in  making 
appointments,  and  Major  Lewis  possessed  a  copy  of  that  letter. 
Colonel  William  Polk,  of  Raleigh,  a  strong  Federalist,  being  on 
a  visit  to  Major  Lewis,  was  shown  a  copy  of  that  letter,  and  admir- 
ing its  sentiments,  warmly  espoused  Jackson's  candidacy.    United 


i8o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

States  Senator  Montfort  Stokes,  of  North  Carolina,  was  the 
father-in-law  of  Major  Lewis,  and  an  ardent  Republican.  He,  too, 
agreed  to  support  Jackson,  should  Calhoun  not  be  in  the  field. 
The  joinder  of  the  old  Federalists  under  Polk  with  the  influence 
of  Stokes  and  other  friends  in  North  Carolina  assured  that  State 
to  Jackson.  Notwithstanding  Macon  supported  Crawford,  who 
was  the  caucus  nominee,  and  notwithstanding  the  efforts  made  in 
behalf  of  Clay  and  of  Adams,  North  Carolina  gave  Jackson 
5000  majority.  Elsewhere  similar  influences  prevailed,  the  Fed- 
eralists giving  Jackson  a  cordial  support. 

But  althougli  at  the  election  Jackson  received  a  much  greater 
popular  vote  than  any  other  candidate  and  a  considerable  plurality 
in  the  Electoral  College,  the  choice  of  the  President  was  thrown 
into  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  Henry  Qay  giving  his  in- 
fluence to  Adams,  a  minority  candidate,  succeeded  in  electing  him. 
Jackson  never  forgave  Qay  for  this  action,  which  he  regarded  as 
a  great  wrong.  He  and  his  friends  crucified  Clay  for  having  de- 
feated him  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  the  people. 

At  the  next  election,  in  1828,  Jackson  was  elected  by  an  over- 
whelming vote,  and  John  C.  Calhoun  was  chosen  Vice-President 
on  the  same  ticket.  On  forming  his  Cabinet,  President  Jackson 
appointed  Senator  John  Branch,  of  North  Carolina,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  In  1830,  however.  General  Jackson  broke  with  Cal- 
houn because  of  some  developments  made  of  matters  occurring 
when  Jackson  invaded  Florida;  and  in  the  Spring  of  1831  Cal- 
houn made  a  publication  that  led  to  implacable  hostility  between 
them.  Governor  Branch  and  two  other  members  of  the  Cabinet 
were  friends  of  Calhoun,  and  Jackson,  proposing  to  form  a  new 
Cabinet,  asked  all  of  the  Cabinet  to  resign,  and  they  did  so,  Branch 
retiring  on  April  19,*  1831.  Prior  to  that  time  the  North  Caro- 
lina public  men  had  generally  been  warm  supporters  of  the  ad- 
ministration. Now  divisions  began  to  manifest  themselves.  The 
same  result  followed  elsewhere.  Qay's  followers  had  been  called 
National  Republicans  to  distinguish  them  from  the  administration 
Republicans.  Calhoun  preferred  the  name  of  Democrat.  In  1832, 
the  year  following  his  breach  with  the  President,  Calhoun  influ- 


ANDREW  JACKSON  i8i 

enced  South  Carolina  to  adopt  an  Ordinance  to  nullify  the  Tariff 
Act  of  1828,  and  to  threaten  to  secede  from  the  Union.  Jack- 
son, on  the  other  hand,  announced  a  resolute  determination  to  pre- 
serve the  Union  and  enforce  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and 
a  great  breach  was  made  between  the  administration  and  the  State's 
Rights  men  of  the  South.  In  addition  to  these  matters  of  contro- 
versy, the  President's  opposition  to  granting  a  new  charter  to  the 
bank  of  the  United  States,  his  removal  of  the  Government  de- 
posits, and  his  fierce  war  on  the  bank,  and  on  all  those  who  sus- 
tained that  institution,  drove  off  friends  from  him ;  and  beginning 
with  1 83 1  these  various  questions  engendered  bitter  feuds  from 
which  the  public  men  of  North  Carolina  were  not  exempt. 

Jackson's  course  had  been  so  arbitrary,  partaking  of  the  nature 
of  the  prerogative  of  kings  that  Clay  classed  his  followers  as  the 
Tories  of  England,  and  likened  the  opponents  of  the  administration 
to  the  "Whigs,"  and  this  gave  the  name  to  the  party  that  rallied 
around  that  leader. 

When  the  Senate  met  in  December,  1833,  a  majority  of  the 
Senators  were  in  the  opposition,  and  on  March  28,  1834,  the  Senate 
passed  a  Resolution  of  Censure,  proposed  by  Mr.  Qay,  by  a  vote 
of  26  to  20.  Among  those  who  voted  for  this  Resolution  was 
Senator  Mangum,  who  in  1831  had  succeeded  Senator  James 
Iredell.  The  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  had,  however,  re- 
mained faithful  to  Jackson,  whose  principles  and  policies  com- 
mended him  to  the  masses  of  the  people.  Indeed  in  183 1,  when 
Jonathan  Worth  and  a  few  other  members  of  the  Assembly  re- 
fused to  vote  for  a  resolution  sustaining  Jackson,  they  were  de- 
nounced "almost  as  traitors."  Senator  Mangum's  vote  on  Clay's 
Resolution  led  to  resolutions  of  instructions  which  resulted  in  his 
resignation ;  and  in  1836  Robert  Strange  succeeded  him.  In  that 
year  North  Carolina  gave  her  electoral  votes  to  Van  Buren,  who 
was  Jackson's  choice  for  his  successor,  although  in  the  same  year 
Edward  B.  Dudley,  who  was  not  a  friend  to  the  administration, 
was  elected  governor  of  the  State. 

On  March  16,  1837,  Benton's  Resolution  to  expunge  from  the 
records  of  the  Senate  the  Resolution  of  Censure  was  adopted  by 


i82  NORTH  CAROLINA 

a  vote  of  25  to  19,  Senators  Strange  and  Brown,  of  North  Caro- 
lina, voting  for  it.  The  Assembly  of  1838  was,  however,  in  op- 
position to  the  administration  and  adopted  in  its  turn  resolutions 
of  instructions  that  resulted  in  the  resignation  of  the  two  Demo- 
cratic senators.  Strange  and  Brown;  and  Mangum  and  Graham 
were  elected  in  their  stead. 

Indeed  that  decade,  covering  Jackson's  public  life,  was  one  of 
the  most  stirring  eras  in  the  history  of  our  people.  It  was  marked 
by  the  beginning  of  internal  improvements,  by  the  erection  of  a 
new  Capitol  building,  by  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1835, 
the  culmination  of  the  intense  bitter  feeling  between  the  East  and 
the  West,  by  the  rise  of  gjeat  sectional  animosity  between  the 
North  and  the  South  on  the  slavery  question  and  on  the  Tariff 
question.  There  was  likewise  great  bitterness  developed  among 
the  public  men,  because  of  Jackson's  measures,  and  some  of  the 
States  Rights  men  affiliating  with  the  Whigs,  eventually,  in  1840, 
the  opposition  to  the  Van  Buren  administration  became  so  strong 
in  North  Carolina  that  the  electoral  votes  of  the  States  were  given 
to  Harrison,  who,  badly  defeated  in  1836,  now  was  overwhelmingly 
triumphant.  To  the  end,  however,  the  Democratic  followers  of 
Jackson  were  ardent  in  sustaining  him,  and  were  fiercely  opposed 
to  Clay  and  those  North  Carolina  statesmen  who  followed  the 
fortunes  of  that  gallant  leader.  It  thus  came  about  that  this  son 
of  Carolina,  Jackson,  who  in  his  early  manhood  had  left  the  State, 
exerted  in  his  subsequent  career  a  powerful  influence  on  her  af- 
fairs. Because  of  him  and  his  measures  her  public  men  became 
widely  estranged  and  her  people  divided.  In  this  way  he  entered 
as  a  powerful  factor  into  the  life  of  the  State. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  second  term  as  President,  in  1837,  Gen- 
eral Jackson  retired  to  his  residence,  the  Hermitage,  which  many, 
years  before  he  had  erected  in  the  vicinity  of  Nashville,  and  he  was 
known  among  his  friends  as  "The  Sage  of  the  Hermitage."  His 
remaining  years,  after  one  of  the  stormiest  lives  that  ever  marked 
the  career  of  any  American  statesman,  were  passed  in  a  quiet  dig- 
nity, befitting  so  illustrious  a  character.    He  died  June  8,  1845. 

S.  A,  Ashe, 


JOHN    JENKINS 

tHEN  Governor  Carteret  left  Albemarle  in  the 
Spring  of  1673  and  went  to  England,  he  trans- 
ferred the  administration  to  Colonel  John  Jen- 
kins, as  Deputy-Governor.  "Captain  John 
Jenkins"  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Caro- 
lina. He  had  located  on  the  Perquimans  River 
before  the  grant  to  the  Lords  Proprietors,  and  conformably  with 
the  instructions  of  the  King,  he  took  out  a  patent  for  his  land 
from  Governor  Berkeley,  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  This  was  on 
September  25,  1663,  ^"^  before  Berkeley  had  been  informed  of  the 
grant  to  himself  and  the  other  Proprietors.  Captain  Jenkins  was 
a  man  of  some  consequence,  bringing  into  the  province  at  that 
time  fourteen  persons,  and  from  the  first  he  was  an  important 
personage  in  the  settlement.  In  1670  he  was  the  Deputy  of  the 
Earl  of  Craven,  and  had  risen  to  the  dignity  of  Colonel  and  was 
the  senior  member  of  the  Council. 

At  the  time  of  his  accession  to  power,  his  interests  were  those  of 
the  community,  but  he  was  the  representative  of  the  Proprietors, 
and  one  of  the  nobility  according  to  Carteret's  instructions,  and 
thus  had  to  sustain  government.  Discontent  was  rife  because  of  the 
new  Navigation  Acts  and  custom  duties  interfering  with  the  es- 
tablished trade  with  New  England,  whence  alone  the  planters  had 
been  accustomed  to  draw  their  needed  supplies.  Some  time 
elapsed,  however,  before  any  attempt  was  made  to  enforce  these 


i84  NORTH  CAROLINA 

acts.  At  length  commissions  came  for  Copely  and  Birch  to  be 
respectively  the  King's  Collector  and  Surveyor  of  Customs; 
but  the  men  themselves  did  not  come  and  the  duty  devolved  on 
Governor  Jenkins  to  have  the  offices  filled  and  the  law  observed. 
There  was  opposition,  but  Jenkins  reconciled  the  people  and  the 
appointments  were  made.  Valentine  Bird,  a  rich  planter,  was 
made  Collector,  and  Timothy  Biggs,  who  had  married  the  widow 
of  George  Catchmaid,  the  Surveyor  of  Customs.  Bird  probably 
was  not  diligent  in  the  execution  of  his  office.  It  was  said  that 
many  hogsheads  of  tobacco  went  out  marked  as  "bait**  for  the 
New  England  fishermen ;  and  European  merchandise  was  landed 
that  did  not  come  direct  from  London.  Still  there  was  cause  for 
irritation.  In  addition,  the  terms  of  the  Fundamental  Constitu- 
tions raising  the  quit  rents  gave  uneasiness,  and  there  were  rumors 
that  the  province  was  to  be  apportioned  among  the  Proprietors  and 
that  Albemarle  was  to  be  allotted  to  Governor  Berkeley,  a  sugges- 
tion that  was  abhorrent  to  the  people.  About  that  time  an  Indian 
war  set  in,  and  just  when  needed  Captain  Gilliam  brought  his  ves- 
sel into  port  with  a  cargo  of  arms  and  ammunition,  and  a  force  was 
organized  to  suppress  the  Indians.  On  the  return  from  this  cam- 
paign, the  people,  being  armed,  demanded  that  the  export  tax  on 
tobacco  should  not  be  collected.  Chief  among  the  insurgents  was 
George  Durant,  and  in  alliance  with  him  was  Valentine  Bird  him- 
self. Governor  Jenkins,  unable  to  resist,  offered  a  compromise, 
and  consented  that  only  one-half  the  required  tax  should  be  col- 
lected. This  action  was  without  authority,  and  it  is  an  evidence 
of  the  difficulties  of  his  situation.  In  discharging  his  duties,  bad 
blood  arose  between  him  and  Thomas  Miller,  who  was  probably 
an  agitator.  Miller  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  uttering  treason- 
able words  against  the  King's  person  and  the  monarchy,  and  blas- 
phemy. He  was  sent  to  Virginia  for  trial,  but  was  acquitted.  In 
the  meantime  the  General  Assembly  deposed  Jenkins  from  office 
as  Governor  and  President  of  the  Council,  and  imprisoned  him, 
and  on  Miller's  going  to  England,  they  sent  to  the  Proprietors 
for  instructions.  In  this  conflict  between  the  Assembly  and  Jen- 
kins, the  latter  was  sustained  by  a  majority  of  the  deputies,  and 


JOHN  JENKINS  185 

the  exact  lines  of  divergence  between  them  cannot  be  traced. 
During  this  interregnum,  the  Assembly  seemed  to  have  governed, 
perhaps  aided  by  the  councillors  who  assented  to  their  authority. 
When  Miller  arrived  in  London,  he  was  joined  by  Eastchurch, 
the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  latter  was  appointed  Gov- 
ernor and  Miller  was  appointed  Collector  of  Customs.  George 
Durant  being  in  London  at  the  time  told  the  Proprietors  that 
Eastchurch  should  never  be  Governor.  Hastening  back,  Durant 
organized  opposition.  On  their  return  voyage,  Eastchurch  stopped 
at  the  island  of  Nevis,  and  sent  Miller  on  with  authority  to  exer- 
cise the  office  of  Governor,  as  well  as  Collector  of  Customs.  Hav- 
ing information  of  Durant's  threat,  Miller  resorted  to  arbitrary 
measures,  made  limitations  on  the  choice  of  Assemblymen,  and 
succeeded  in  having  himself  invested  with  the  power  of  imposing 
fines  at  his  own  pleasure.  Armed  with  this  authority,  he  issued 
warrants  to  have  some  of  the  most  considerable  men  in  the  colony 
brought  before  him  dead  or  alive.  These  proceedings  led  to  gjeat 
commotions,  and  Valentine  Bird,  with  John  Culpepper  and  some 
other  coadjutors,  embodied  a  force,  seized  Biggs  and  Miller,  called 
a  free  Parliament,  which  deputed  five  of  its  members,  among  them 
John  Jenkins  and  Valentine  Bird,  to  form  a  court  to  try  the  pris- 
oners, who  were  charged  with  treason.  In  all  these  proceedings 
Jenkins  was  an  actor,  although  John  Culpepper,  who  in  1671  had 
been  Surveyor  of  the  Province  and  then  claimed  to  be  Collector, 
was  the  chief  director,  and  Durant  was  also  a  manager.  East- 
church arrived  in  Virginia,  but  died,  and  the  Assembly  continued 
to  govern.  At  length,  to  compose  all  differences,  the  Proprietors 
appointed  Seth  Sothel  Governor,  who  on  his  way  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Algerines;  and  then  they  appointed  John  Harvey 
Governor,  and  re-appointed  the  old  deputies,  and  the  Assembly 
elected  the  other  members  of  the  Council ;  Harvey's  instructions 
dated  February  5,  1679,  being  similar  to  those  given  to  Carteret. 
Harvey,  however,  died  within  a  few  months  after  his  administra- 
tion began,  and  Jenkins  was  again  elected  Governor,  and  now  had 
the  support  of  the  Legislature,  Durant  being  the  Attorney-Gen- 
eral and  the  manager  of  affairs.    During  his  first  administration, 


i86  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Durant  seems  to  have  been  opposed  to  Jenkins,  but  on  Miller's 
return  to  the  colony,  Jenkins  and  Durant  made  common  cause 
against  him.  In  these  turmoils  it  does  not  appear  that  the  au- 
thority of  the  Lords  Proprietors  was  questioned  or  that  their 
policy  and  management  was  a  principal  factor  in  events,  but  rather 
that  there  was  a  popular  demonstration  against  the  enforcement 
of  the  navigation  laws  and  the  new  custom  duties  of  1672.  It 
was  rebellion  against  the  Crown  and  not  against  the  Proprietors ; 
or  rather  a  purpose  to  displace  some  Crown  officers  and  substitute 
others  who  would  not  vigorously  enforce  the  obnoxious  laws.  On 
learning  of  the  death  of  Harvey,  the  Proprietors  sent  Captain 
Henry  Wilkinson  over  as  Governor,  who,  appearing  in  the  colony 
in  1681,  relieved  Jenkins  of  the  administration.  During  this  last 
administration  of  Jenkins,  order  was  maintained  m  the  colony,  al- 
though the  Quakers,  who  had  then  become  quite  numerous,  com- 
plained that  Durant  was  pursuing  them  with  a  strong  hand  and 
oppressing  them  because  they  had  not  sympathized  with  the  re- 
bellion. 

Colonel  Jenkins  did  not  long  survive  his  last  term  of  office  as 
Governor.    He  died  in  December,  1681. 

S.  A,  Ashe, 


GABRIEL  JOHNSTON 

?OVERNOR  BURRINGTON  on  his  return  to 
North  Carolina  in  1731,  as  the  first  Royal  Gov- 
ernor, soon  found  that  the  inhabitants  would 
not  acquiesce  in  the  claims  of  powers  and  pre- 
rogatives made  on  behalf  of  the  Crown;  and 
political  divergences  quickly  developed  per- 
sonal antagonisms.  As  a  result  of  his  asperity  of  temper,  he  was 
removed,  and  in  1733  Gabriel  Johnston  was  appointed  to  succeed 
him. 

The  Johnstons  were  of  an  ancient  family  and  derived  their 
name  from  the  Barony  of  Johnston,  in  Annandale,  Scotland. 
Gabriel  Johnston  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  had  received  his 
education  in  the  University  of  St.  Andrews.  After  spending  a 
few  years  studying  medicine,  he  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Oriental  Languages  in  the  University,  but  later  removed  to  Lon- 
don and  entered  into  politics  as  a  political  writer.  He  contributed 
to  the  Craftsman,  a  periodical  opposed  to  the  ministry,  and  was 
associated  with  Bolingbroke  and  William  Johnston,  afterward 
Earl  of  Bath,  a  relative  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  From  1726 
to  the  time  of  his  departure  from  England,  he  lived  almost  con* 
stantly  with  Spencer  Compton,  Baron  of  Wilmington,  Lord  Presi- 
dent of  the  Privy  Council,  and  was  intimately  thrown  with  many 
persons  of  distinction. 

Governor  Johnston  was  well  advanced  in  years,  a  man  of  learn- 


i88  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ing,  and  something  of  a  politician.  Unlike  his  immediate  prede- 
cessors, he  was  neither  given  to  profanity  nor  to  drink,  and  he  had 
the  purpose  to  promote  the  interests  and  prosperity  of  the  prov- 
ince committed  to  his  care,  but  at  the  same  time  to  govern  it  ac- 
cording to  his  notions.  He  arrived  at  Brunswick  on  October  2jy 
1734,  and  on  November  2d  took  the  oaths  of  office.  The 
Legislature  at  that  time  was  in  session  at  Edenton,  and  receiving 
notice  of  Governor  Johnston's  arrival,  on  November  13th  it 
adjourned. 

The  end  of  Burrington's  administration  had  been  very  stormy. 
Several  members  of  the  Council  had  fled  from  the  province  from 
fear  of  personal  violence.  These  now  returned  and  gave  their 
version  of  their  differences  with  Burrington  into  willing  ears,  and 
Johnston  readily  espoused  their  cause.  He  showed  but  slight 
favor  to  Governor  Burrington.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before 
he  himself  became  embroiled  with  the  inhabitants. 

The  little  hamlet  of  New  Liverpool  had  been  begun  at  the  con^ 
fluence  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Cape  Fear,  and  its  fame  had 
reached  Great  Britain.  Later,  in  1732,  the  town  of  Newton  was 
laid  off  by  Caleb  Grainger  and  others  about  a  mile  lower  down  the 
river.  Competition  had  already  set  in  between  this  nascent  village 
and  Brunswick,  then  nearly  ten  years  old.  Governor  Johnston 
took  sides  with  Newton,  and  determined  to  make  it  the  metropolis 
of  that  section.  He  directed  in  May,  1735,  that  the  Council  should 
be  held  there,  and  designated  it  as  the  place  for  holding  courts  and 
for  payment  of  taxes,  and  other  public  purposes.  He  bought 
land  in  the  vicinity,  promoted  its  settlement  and  identified  himself 
with  its  growth,  naming  it  in  honor  of  his  patron,  the  Earl  of  Wil- 
mington. Thus  at  the  very  outset  he  threw  himself  into  antago- 
nism with  the  powerful  interests  that  were  centered  at  Brunswick. 

Besides,  his  instructions  with  reference  to  annulling  patents  that 
had  been  issued  in  blank  without  actual  survey,  also  arrayed  op- 
position against  him.  His  purpose  to  have  the  quit  rents  collected 
and  his  efforts  to  remodel  the  form  of  government,  fashioning  it 
after  that  of  England,  were  likewise  causes  of  controversy. 

These  were  the  chief  occasions  of  the  political  troubles    that 


GABRIEL  JOHNSTON  189 

marked  the  early  years  of  his  administration.  The  quit  rents  had 
from  time  immemorial  been  payable  on  the  farms  and  in  com- 
modities and  at  a  valuation  fixed  by  the  Act  of  171 5.  Now  they 
were  demanded  at  some  certain  central  points ;  and  when  the  reg- 
ulations were  not  complied  with,  they  were  levied  by  distress  with 
extravagant  charges.  Edward  Moseley  himself  refused  to  observe 
those  regulations,  and  others  followed  his  example,  so  that  the 
rents  were  not  collected.  The  Governor,  however,  in  1739,  agreed 
to  a  compromise,  and  a  bill  was  passed  whereby  concessions  were 
made  on  each  side ;  but  the  Crown  disallowed  that  Act,  and  it  was 
years  before  any  quit  rent  law  was  passed. 

In  1744  Lord  Granville's  share  of  Carolina  was  set  apart,  the 
line  running  from  Cape  Hatteras  West,  so  that  the  northern  coun- 
ties were  in  Granville's  territory,  and  the  people  there  had  interests 
different  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  portion  of  the 
province. 

The  various  officers  of  the  Government  had  been  required  by 
the  Act  of  1722  to  keep  their  several  offices  open  at  Edenton,  and, 
now  that  the  southern  part  of  the  province  was  somewhat  settled, 
that  location  of  the  capital  was  inconvenient,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  southern  counties  preferred  New-Bern  as  being  much  more 
accessible  to  them.  To  this  the  northern  counties  would  not  as- 
sent; and  having  five  representatives  each,  while  the  southern 
counties  had  only  two,  they  held  the  majority  and  their  objection 
prevented  any  change. 

Governor  Johnston  was  anxious  for  the  progress  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  sought  to  promote  all  measures  that  tended  in  that  di- 
rection; and  particularly  was  he  solicitous  for  the  establishment 
of  the  seat  of  government  at  New-Bern  as  being  more  central  than 
Edenton.  Thwarted  in  his  desire,  he  resorted  to  "management"  to 
accomplish  the  purpose.  He  convened  the  Assembly  to  meet  at 
Wilmington.  It  was  not  convenient  for  the  northern  members  to 
attend,  and  they  remained  at  home.  The  southern  members  were 
in  full  sympathy  with  the  Governor,  for  it  was  a  sectional  fight 
between  the  counties.  It  seemed^unreasonable  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Cape  Fear  should  have  to  travel  150  miles   through  the 


I90  NORTH  CAROLINA 

wilderness  to  Edenton  in  order  to  transact  public  business;  and 
entirely  unjust  that  the  six  small  northern  counties  should  have 
thirty  assemblymen,  while  the  eleven  larger  counties  had  only 
twenty-two.    They  proposed  to  remedy  these  political  evils. 

When  the  members  of  the  Assembly  came  together  at  Wilming- 
ton, they  were  so  few  in  numbers  that  the  question  presented  it- 
self— could  the  House  proceed  with  less  than  a  majority?  Speaker 
Swann  determined  that  a  majority  was  not  necessary.  The  mem- 
bership of  the  House  of  Commons  in  England  was  540,  and  forty 
members  constituted  the  quorum  of  that  body.  Basing  his  ruling 
on  that,  the  Speaker  held  that  fifteen  members  were  sufficient  to 
constitute  a  quorum  in  the  province,  and  he  proceeded  to  business. 
Two  Acts  only  were  passed:  one  equalizing  representation,  and 
allowing  only  two  representatives  to  each  county ;  the  other  fixing 
the  capital  at  New-Bern  and  providing  for  a  court  system,  fash- 
ioned after  that  in  vogue  in  England,  and  laying  taxes  to  carry  the 
Act  into  effect. 

These  Acts,  passed  by  less  than  a  majority  of  the  House,  were 
held  by  the  northern  counties  as  null  and  void,  and  they  were  so 
obnoxious  to  them  that  they  would  not  recognize  their  validity 
in  any  respect.  When  writs  were  issued  for  a  new  assembly,  each 
northern  county  voted  as  formerly  for  five  members,  which  the 
Governor  and  Assembly  would  not  admit,  and  so  it  came  about 
that  the  northern  counties  ceased  to  send  members  to  represent 
them ;  nor  would  the  people  there  attend  any  General  Court  or  pay 
any  taxes. 

The  condition  in  the  northern  counties  was  that  of  an  unarmed 
rebellion  against  the  Provincial  Government;  but  yet  the  county 
courts  were  held  as  usual,  and  local  matters  were  administered. 
From  1746  to  1752  the  same  Assembly  continued  to  meet,  holding 
eleven  sessions.  Then  the  questions  raised  by  the  northern  coun- 
ties were  decided  by  the  Crown  officers  in  their  favor,  and  the  Acts 
complained  of  were  declared  void,  and  the  small  northern  counties 
were  represented  in  the  Assembly  by  five  representatives,  each, 
until  the  Revolution. 

But  notwithstanding  the  political  differences  that  marked  his 


GABRIEL  JOHNSTON  191 

administration,  Governor  Johnston,  who  thought  himself  a  wise 
politician,  was  seldom  embroiled  in  personal  controversies;  and 
so  in  many  matters  he  was  able  to  exert  an  influence  which  other- 
wise he  would  not  have  done. 

Thus  in  1740,  when  there  was  much  political  disaffection,  on 
the  war  breaking  out  with  Spain  he  was  able  to  raise  companies 
of  men,  both  in  the  Albemarle  and  on  the  Cape  Fear,  that  served 
in  the  expedition  against  Carthagena,  where  nearly  all  of  the 
colonial  troops  either  fell  victims  by  disease,  or  were  destroyed 
in  battle.  Captain  Innes  went  with  one  of  these  companies,  and 
gained  a  high  reputation  by  his  fine  conduct. 

Governor  Johnston  sought  to  promote  the  settlement  of  the 
province,  and  in  1736  efforts  were  made  to  locate  foreign  Protest- 
ants in  the  interior.  Henry  McCulloh,  who  had  been  appointed 
Receiver-General  of  the  King's  rents  in  both  North  and  South 
Carolina,  associated  with  himself  Huey  and  Crimble  and  obtained 
from  the  King  grants  for  many  thousand  acres  of  land  that  were 
located  on  the  Catawba,  on  the  Pedee,  Cape  Fear  and  Neuse 
rivers,  under  an  agreement  to  settle  them  with  Protestants.  They 
first  sought  to  secure  Irish  tenants ;  and  almost  contemporaneously 
with  the  arrival  of  Governor  Johnston  came  the  forerunners  of  a 
settlement  of  Irish  Protestants,  who  located  in  upper  New  Han- 
over, now  Duplin  and  Sampson,  and  Scotchmen,  who  settled  at 
Wilmington  and  in  Bladen.  Because  of  the  Irish  settling  on  the 
Cape  Fear,  the  new  county  there  laid  off  for  them  was  named 
after  Lord  Dupplin,  but  in  time  one  of  the  p's  was  omitted ;  and 
on  the  waters  of  the  Neuse  a  new  county  was  contemplated,  called 
Essex,  but  when  established,  it  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Gov- 
ernor himself,  Johnston. 

In  September,  1739,  a  large  body  of  Scotchmen  arrived  on  the 
Cape  Fear,  accompanied  by  Dugald  McNeal,  Colonel  McAlister, 
and  several  other  Scotch  gentlemen;  and  the  Legislature  appro- 
priated a  thousand  pounds  to  aid  them,  and  resolved  that  ''wher- 
ever forty  persons  shall  arrive  in  one  company  and  settle  in  the 
province,  they  shall  be  exempt  from  all  taxes  for  ten  y^ears."  Gov- 
ernor Johnston  fostered  this  immigration  from  Scotland  and  from 


192  NORTH  CAROLINA 

the  north  of  Ireland,  and  a  stream  of  Scotch  settlers  poured  in, 
taking  possession  of  the  upper  waters  of  the  Cape  Fear ;  and  this 
migration  continued  for  thirty-five  years,  350  Scotchmen  having 
come  in  at  one  time  as  late  as  1775. 

During  his  administration  also  the  Moravians  settled  at  Salem, 
and  there  was  a  great  influx  of  population  into  Edgecombe  and 
other  counties  near  the  Virginia  line,  while  from  South  Carolina 
immigrants  pressed  up  into  Bladen  and  Anson  counties.  But 
separate  and  distinct  from  these  settlements  was  a  stream  of  im- 
migrants from  Pennsylvania,  Scotch-Irish  and  Germans,  that  took 
possession  of  the  western  portion  of  the  province.  When  Johnston 
came  in,  only  the  land  near  the  great  sounds  and  about  the  vicinity 
of  Wilmington  was  occupied.  At  his  death  population  had  ex- 
tended almost  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  although  necessarily 
there  were  large  tracts  unoccupied ;  and  the  number  of  people  in 
the  province  were  somewhere  about  90,000. 

But  notwithstanding  the  great  increase  in  population  in  the 
province  and  the  rapid  progress  made  in  development  during 
Johnston's  administration,  the  hands  of  Government  were  very 
much  weakened  because  of  the  divergences  incident  to  the  strug- 
gle between  the  northern  and  southern  counties.  The  Act  creating 
a  rent  roll  and  providing  for  the  collection  of  quit  rents  passed  in 
1739,  having  been  disallowed  by  the  Crown,  and  no  other  passed, 
no  rents  were  collected  and  for  fourteen  years  before  the  Gov- 
ernor's death  he  received  no  salary,  which  was  payable  out  of  the 
quit  rents.  Toward  the  end  of  his  administration  efforts  were  made 
by  McCulloh  and  others  to  have  him  dismissed  from  his  post,  and 
various  charges  were  made  against  him  before  the  Board  of  Trade 
in  London,  but  he  successfully  defended  himself  from  the  attacks 
of  his  enemies  and  continued  in  office  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
July  17,  1752,  when  Nathaniel  Rice,  the  senior  member  of  the 
Council,  succeeded  to  the  administration. 

Governor  Johnston  was  accompanied  to  North  Carolina  by  his 
brother,  who  was  the  father  of  Governor  Samuel  Johnston  of  the 
Revolution.  He  married  Penelope  Golland,  a  daughter  of  the 
wife  of  Governor  Eden  by  a  former  marriage.    This  lady  had  al- 


GABRIEL  JOHNSTON  193 

ready  been  married  three  times,  Governor  Johnston  being  her 
fourth  husband.  She  received  from  Govenor  Eden  the  Eden 
House  and  plantation  in  Bertie  County;  and  although  Governor 
Johnston  had  originally  intended  to  reside  in  Bladen  County, 
where  a  mansion  was  erected  on  the  Cape  Fear  River  for  him,  he 
took  up  his  abode  at  the  Eden  House. 

By  this  wife  Governor  Johnston  had  one  daughter,  who  mar- 
ried John  Dawson,  Esq.,  and  resided  at  Eden  House.  His  first 
wife  dying,  he  married  again,  and  in  his  will  he  mentions  his  wife, 
Frances  Johnston,  and  earnestly  requests  her  to  be  a  kind,  tender 
mother  to  his  dear  little  girl.  He  also  mentions  his  brother,  Sam- 
uel Johnston,  and  "my  brother's  two  sons,  Henry  and  Samuel 
Johnston." 

His  widow,  Frances,  later  married  John  Rutherford,  Esq.,  of 
New  Hanover  County. 

5*.  A,  Ashe, 


WILLIAM  R.  KING 


ILLIAM  R.  KING,  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States,  was  a  native  of  Sampson  County, 
and  attained  eminence  while  a  representative 
of  the  Cape  Fear  District  in  Congress.  Mr. 
William  S.  Ashe,  who  represented  the  same 
district  in   Congress  in   1853,  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  of 

Vice-President  King's  death,  in  the  course  of  a  eulogy  delivered 

in  the  House  of  Representatives,  said : 

"Colonel  King  was  born  in  Sampson  County  in  April,  1786.  His  father, 
William  King,  was  a  gentleman  of  fortune  and  character.  During  the 
Revolutionary  War  he  rendered  important  services  to  his  country's  cause, 
both  by  personal  service  and  the  generous  use  of  his  fortune.  After  the 
conclusion  of  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  was 
called  to  adopt  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  he  was  repeatedly  elected 
a  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  from  his  county.  His  situation  in  life 
enabled  him  to  bestow  on  his  children  all  the  advantages  of  education  which 
our  country  at  that  time  afforded. 

"Colonel  King  was  sent  at  an  early  age  to  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, which  institution  he  left  in  his  seventeenth  year,  bearing  with  him  the 
happy  consolation  of  having  commanded  the  respect  of  his  professors,  the 
love  and  esteem  of  his  associates.  He  studied  law  with  William  Duffy,  an 
eminent  jurist,  residing  in  the  town  of  Fayetteville,  where  he  formed 
friendships  which  he  preserved  with  affection  till  the  day  of  his  death. 

"On  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  settled  in  his  native  county,  from 
which  he  was  returned  the  following  year  (1808)  as  a  member  of  the  Leg- 
islature.   By  this  body  he  was,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  elected  solicitor  for 


WILLIAM  R.  KING  195 

the  Wilmington  District.  In  the  year  1810,  before  he  was  twenty-five  years 
of  age,  he  was  elected  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  This  was  a 
most  important  crisis  in  our  national  affairs.  France  dominant  in  Europe, 
England  mistress  of  the  ocean,  our  neutrality  was  grossly  disregarded  by 
each  of  these  supercilious  powers.  To  our  manacing  protests  France 
ultimately  yielded  respect.  England  continued  her  career  of  haughty  in- 
solence.    War  or  national  degradation  was  inevitable. 

"True  Republicans  avoided  not  the  issue,  but  met  it  boldly.  Colonel 
King  acted  with  them  with  his  whole  soul ;  and  though  one  of  the  young- 
est members  of  the  Congress,  he  was  distinguished  for  the  firm  and  fervid 
earnestness  with  which  he  supported  the  illustrious  Madison  in  his  patri- 
otic efforts  to  sustain  the  honor  of  our  country.  He  continued  a  membei; 
of  Congress  until  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  when,  in  1816,  he  ac- 
cepted a  diplomatic  position  abroad,  associated  with  that  scholar  and 
statesman,  William  Pinckney,  the  Envoy-Extraordinary  atod  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  Russia." 

This  brief  resunii  of  Colonel  King's  career  up  to  his  thirtieth 
year  indicates  at  once  his  high  patriotism  and  his  intellectual  ca- 
pacity. He  came  from  stock  which  during  the  Revolutionary  War 
had  been  baptized  in  patriotism,  his  ancestors  having  fought  with 
Colonel  Kenan  and  made  strenuous  endeavors  to  secure  the  in- 
dependence of  their  country.  Animated  by  the  spirit  of  his  Rev- 
olutionary sires,  Colonel  King  in  Congress  during  the  War  of  1812 
cast  lustre  upon  his  North  Carolina  constituents  and  won  for  him- 
self the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  conversant  with  his  career. 

At  the  time  of  his  return  from  abroad  the  territory  of  Alabama 
was  being  organized,  and  he  determined  to  cast  his  fortunes  in  that 
attractive  country  Hardly  had  he  arrived  in  his  new  home  when 
he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  convention  which  was  to  form  a 
State  Government.  To  the  performance  of  the  delicate  and  re- 
sponsible duties  now  cast  upon  him,  he  brought  the  matured  ex- 
perience he  had  gathered  in  the  councils  of  the  Union,  and  the 
wisdom  of  the  illustrious  statesmen  of  North  Carolina,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  most  active  and  efficient  of  those  who  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  Alabama's  fundamental  law.  At  that  time  North  Caro- 
lina's sons  were  spreading  themselves  throughout  the  West,  every- 
where being  received  with  cordiality  and  good  will,  for  North 
Carolina  spirit  and  honorable  conduct  were  proverbial,  and  the 


K/i  NORTH  CAROLINA 

fttatnle^s  career  of  her  public  men  gained  for  tbem  the  higbest 
consideration.  But  in  addition  Colonel  King  had  an  individuality 
that  at  once  commended  him  to  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
people  of  Alabama.  As  soon  as  the  Constitution  was  adopted,  he 
was  chosen  a  Senator  from  that  State  in  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  and  for  thirt>'  years,  except  a  brief  period  of  two 
years,  when  abroad,  he  represented  Alabama  in  the  Senate.  In 
1844,  at  a  critical  period,  he  accepted  the  mission  as  Minister  to 
France,  and  by  his  address  rendered  extraordinary  service  to  his 
country  in  securing  the  acquiescence  of  France  and  of  England 
in  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  United  States.  Both  of  those 
countries  were  disposed  to  object  to  this  extension  of  the  United 
States,  and  ominous  clouds,  betokening  war,  were  gathering,  when 
by  his  decision  and  characteristic  resolution,  he  dispelled  them. 

In  the  Senate,  on  all  occasions  when  a  great  issue  was  before 
the  country,  calling  for  the  exerdse  of  firmness,  courage  and 
patriotism,  Colonel  King  was  abreast  of  those  who  stood  foremost 
for  the  safety  and  glory  of  the  Republic 

It  has  been  said  of  him  "that  he  g^ced  the  chair  of  the  Senate 
longer  than  any  other  man  that  ever  occupied  it — not  continuously, 
or  by  virtue  merely  of  repeated  elections  as  temporary  President, 
but  often  also  at  the  request  of  the  presiding  officer."  He  was 
thus  engaged  in  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  President  of  the 
Senate  during  the  greater  part  of  the  terms  of  five  vice-presi- 
dents ;  and  that  at  a  time  "when  party  spirit  raged  in  torrents  of 
fire,"  and  the  master  spirits  of  that  era  were  among  the  members 
of  the  Senate,  Qay,  Calhoun,  Webster  and  their  associates,  who 
made  that  period  of  our  history  illustrious. 

Colonel  King  was  from  principle  and  conviction  a  State's  Rights 
man,  but  he  loved  the  Union  and  believed  that  harmony  between 
the  Federal  and  State  powers  were  the  essence  of  the  Union.  In 
the  memorable  session  of  1849  ^^^  1850,  he  voted  for  nearly  all 
of  the  Compromise  measures  then  proposed  by  Clay,  because  of 
his  devotion  to  the  Union. 

In  1852  Colonel  King,  while  still  in  the  Senate,  was  nominated 
for  the  Vice- Presidency  by  the  Democratic  Party  on  the  ticket 


WILLIAM  R.  KING  197 

with  Franklin  Pierce,  and  was  elected  to  that  high  position ;  but 
a  mortal  malady  had  already  seized  him.  He  spent  that  Winter  in 
Cuba  seeking  renewed  vitality ;  but  losing  hope,  he  hurried  home  to 
die  in  the  midst  of  his  friends.  On  March  4,  1853,  he  took  the 
oath  of  office  of  Vice-President  in  Cuba,  the  oath  being  adminis- 
tered by  the  American  Consul.  He  reached  his  home  at  Cahawba, 
Alabama,  on  April  17th  following,  and  died  the  next  day. 

A  North  Carolinian  by  birth,  educated  and  trained  among  her 
people,  he  attained  prominence  as  one  of  North  Carolina's  Repre- 
sentatives in  Congress,  and  voiced  her  sentiments  at  a  critical 
period  in  the  history  of  our  country ;  and  although  transplanted 
to  a  new  home,  it  was  still  his  North  Carolina  characteristics  that 
made  his  career  honorable  and  brought  him  such  high  distinction 
among  the  public  men  of  the  Union. 

5*.  A.  Ashe, 


RUFUS  YANCEY  McADEN 

UFUS  YANCEY  McADEN  was  born  in  Cas- 
well County,  North  Carolina,  March  4,  1833. 
He  was  the  son  of  Doctor  Henry  McAden,  and 
the  grandson  of  Doctor  John  McAden,  both  of 
whom  were  distinguished  physicians  of  Cas- 
well County.  His  great-grandfather  was  the 
Reverend  Hugh  McAden,  a  Presbyterian  minister  and  mission- 
ary, who  came  to  this  State  from  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  a 
few  years  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
preached  the  gospel  throughout  the  entire  State,  and  was  the 
founder  of  many  churches,  several  of  which  are  now  in  existence, 
notably  Sugar  Creek  in  Mecklenburg  County,  Haw  Fields  in 
Alamance,  and  Red  House  in  Caswell.  This  g^and  old  pioneer 
preacher  was  a  decided  Whig,  and  he  took  such  a  prominent  part 
on  the  American  side  of  that  great  struggle  for  liberty,  that  the 
British  burned  his  home,  together  with  all  his  out  houses,  and 
destroyed  or  carried  away  all  his  stock. 

Doctor  John  McAden  married  Miss  Betsy  Murphey,  a  sister  of 
Archibald  D.  Murphey,  one  of  North  Carolina's  most  distinguished 
citizens  and  prominent  educators,  and  for  whom  the  Murphey 
school  building  in  the  city  of  Raleigh  is  named.  Doctor  Henry 
McAden,  the  father  of  Honorable  R.  Y.  McAden,  married  Miss 
Frances  Yancey,  the  daughter  of  Honorable  Bartlet  Yancey,  so 
that  the  name  of  R.  Y.  McAden  represents  two  of  the  oldest  and 


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RUFUS  YANCEY  McADEN  199 

most  distinguished  families  of  North  Carolina.  The  name  of 
Yancey  is  prominent  not  only  in  North  Carolina,  but  also  in  Ala- 
bama, Mississippi  and  Virginia. 

R.  Y.  McAden  was  left  an  orphan  when  quite  young,  and  his 
grandmother,  Mrs,  Bartlet  Yancey,  took  him  to  her  home  and 
adopted  him  into  her  family,  and  he  was  reared  and  educated 
chiefly  by  this  queenly  woman.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  the 
country  amid  the  scenes  and  with  the  environments  which  tend  to 
make  great  men.  There  is  no  place  on  earth  better  suited  to  the 
raising  and  training  of  boys  and  girls  than  a  good  country  home, 
where  the  people  believe  in  God  and  the  angels,  and  where  the 
great  heart  of  nature  beats  strong  amid  her  hills.  Young  McAden 
lived  like  other  country  boys,  and  spent  his  time  in  breaking  colts, 
fishing  in  the  streams,  working  in  the  fields,  attending  the  country 
schools,  until  he  was  prepared  for  college.  He  entered  Wake 
Forest  College  and  graduated  therefrom  in  his  twentieth  year,  and 
subsequently  read  law  with  Judges  Nash  and  Bailey  in  the  old  his- 
toric town  of  Hillsboro,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  in  his  native  county  of  Caswell.  When  he  was  twenty- 
five  years  old  he  married  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  Mary  F. 
Terry,  daughter  of  Doctor  B.  F.  Terry,  of  Prince  Edward  County, 
Virginia,  and  moved  the  next  year  from  Caswell  to  Alamance  and 
settled  in  Graham.  His  popularit}'  and  his  ability  were  soon  rec- 
ognized in  his  adopted  home,  and  friends  prevailed  upon  him  to 
become  a  candidate  on  the  Whig  ticket  for  the  Legislature  in 
i860.  He  was  defeated,  but  succeeded  in  reducing  the  Democratic 
majority  from  300  to  13.  In  1861  he  was  almost  unanimously 
elected  to  the  State  Convention,  on  the  Whig  or  Union  Ticket,  but 
the  Convention  was  not  called.  In  1862  he  was  elected  to  the  Leg- 
islature, and  re-elected  each  year  until  1867.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  over  Colonel 
R.  H.  Cowan,  of  Wilmington.  He  made  a  model  Speaker.  Dur- 
ing the  exciting  times  of  that  period,  and  the  bitter  party  opposi- 
tion, he  was  so  absolutely  fair  and  just  in  his  rulings  that  no  ap- 
peal was  ever  taken  from  them.  He  knew  men  and  he  knew  how 
to  manage  men. 


200  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Charlotte  in  1867  was  looking 
around  to  find  a  suitable  man  for  its  President.  R.  Y.  McAden 
was  the  man  selected,  and  no  better  man  could  have  been  secured, 
as  the  subsequent  history  of  that  bank  clearly  showed.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  Presidency  of  the  bank  until  his  death.  Mr.  Mc- 
Aden  soon  tired  of  politics  and  law,  consequently  in  1867  he  began 
a  career  of  business  prosperity  almost  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  North  Carolina.  In  the  following  year  he  became  as- 
sociated with  that  great  railroad  builder,  Colonel  A.  S.  Buford, 
in  the  construction  of  the  Atlantic  and  Charlotte  Airline  Railroad, 
and  was  elected  Vice-President  of  that  corporation.  He  also  or- 
ganized and  constructed  the  Spartanburg  and  Asheville  Railroad, 
for  without  his  untiring  efforts  and  indomitable  perseverance  the 
road  never  would  have  been  built.  Both  of  the  roads  are  now 
a  part  of  the  great  Southern  Railway,  which  has  done  so  much 
in  the  development  of  the  Piedmont  Section  of  North  and  South 
Carolina.  Both  States  owe  him  a  debt  of  lasting  gratitude  for 
his  devoted  work  in  carrying  on  this  great  work.  In  the  year  1881 
Mr.  McAden  went  into  the  cotton  milling  business,  his  wondrous 
foresight  causing  him  to  be  a  pioneer  in  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  cotton  manufacturing  in  the  old  North  State.  He  built 
a  large  cotton  mill  at  McAdensville,  in  Gaston  County,  around 
which  has  sprung  up  a  beautiful  and  picturesque  town  on  the 
banks  of  the  south  fork  of  the  Catawba  River.  That  mill  is  still 
in  successful  operation,  and  the  whirr  of  its  spindles  and  the 
thunder  of  its  looms  still  bear  witness  to  the  wisdom  and  foresight 
of  its  founder. 

Mr.  McAden  was  a  gifted  man  intellectually,  and  his  great  en- 
dowments were  directed  to  achievement  The  most  distinguished 
characteristic  of  his  mind,  and  that  which  elevated  him  above  his 
contemporaries,  was  the  brilliancy  of  his  intellect,  the  quickness  and 
rapidity  of  his  thoughts  and  his  almost  instantaneous  conclusion 
upon  any  proposition  submitted  to  his  consideration.  The  slow 
process  of  reason  and  deduction  employed  by  others  in  reaching 
conclusions  were  by  him  leaped  over,  at  a  single  bound,  as  mere 
impediments  for  delay ;  yet  the  accuracy  of  his  conclusions,  so  ob- 


RUFUS  YANCEY  McADEN  201 

tained,  seldom  failed  to  reach  the  goal,  while  others  were  working 
their  slow  way  by  the  old  and  well-trod  methods  of  logic. 

Not  only  was  his  mental  activity  such  in  reaching  conclusions, 
but  as  a  man  of  action,  as  well,  he  was  no  less  alert  and  rapid  in 
the  execution  of  them.  To  decide  upon  an  enterprise  and  to  be- 
gin its  execution  were  words  almost  of  equivalent  meaning,  so 
quickly  one  followed  the  other.  In  the  prosecution  of  his  work 
no  obstacles  such  as  would  stagger  men  of  ordinary  nerve  could 
halt,  deter  or  depress  him.  Such  was  his  abounding  faith  and 
fertility  of  resource,  that  not  only  was  his  confidence  unshaken 
where  others  despaired,  but  his  buoyancy  and  cheerfulness  never 
deserted  him.  A  single  instance  of  this  unconquerable  will-power 
occurred  in  the  construction  of  the  Spartanburg  and  Asheville 
Railroad.  Such  were  the  obstacles,  the  lack  of  funds,  repudia- 
tion of  contracts,  complicated  litigations  and  other  hindrances, 
that  but  for  his  unwavering  faith,  courage,  energy,  resources  of 
mind  and  unconquerable  perseverance,  that  road,  now  so  popular 
and  useful,  would  not  have  been  constructed.  Such  were  the  char- 
acteristics of  Mr.  McAden  in  all  his  enterprises  and  such  were  the 
secrets  of  his  success. 

Another  trait  of  his  mind  and  moral  nature  was  his  fidelity  to 
his  friends.  When  he  chose  friends,  he  gave  them  his  unbounded 
confidence  and  trust  and  never  forsook  or  doubted  them.  No 
favor  that  they  could  ask  or  that  appeared  to  him  to  be  agreeable 
to  them  was  ever  denied  them  or  withheld  by  him.  This  fidelity 
and  loyalty  to  his  friends  was  almost  romantic  in  its  simplicity  and 
beauty. 

Another,  but  not  the  least,  amiable  trait  in  this  man's  character 
was  his  cherished  domestic  felicity.  His  inner  domestic  home  life 
around  the  family  altar  is  too  sacred  for  intrusion  in  this  sketch ; 
but  that  happiness,  unity  and  love  between  father,  mother  and 
children  were  supreme  in  the  household,  could  not  be  concealed. 
Nor  did  he  ever  fail  to  respond  to  any  call  for  public  or  private 
charity,  or  to  lend  his  aid  to  any  enterprise  for  the  honor  and  pros- 
perity of  the  public  and  his  native  State. 

In  person  Mr.  McAden  was  of  medium  height,  a  compact  and 


202  NORTH  CAROLINA 

well-knit  body,  a  fine  bead,  firmly  set  upon  bis  shoulders,  brilliant 
blue  eyes,  inquisitive  and  searching.  His  walk  was  quick,  firm  and 
decisive,  indicative  of  business.  His  manners  were  easy,  cordial 
and  cheerful,  devoid  of  stiffness  or  ceremony  and  one  of  the  most 
approachable  of  men. 

After  a  life  full  of  the  largest  service  to  his  native  State,  R.  Y. 
McAden  died  January  29,  1889,  at  his  beautiful  home  in  the  city 
of  Charlotte,  leaving  a  devoted  wife  and  five  children.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  President  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Charlotte,  President  of  the  Spartanburg,  Union  and  Columbia 
Railroad,  the  Asheville  and  Spartanburg  Railway,  the  Falls  of 
Neuse  Manufacturing  Company,  and  the  McAden  Cotton  Mills. 
He  was  still  in  the  prime  of  a  vigorous  manhood,  with  his  mind 
clear  and  his  natural  force  unabated.  In  a  letter  which  the  writer 
received  from  Mr.  Henry  M.  McAden,  a  son  of  R.  Y.  McAden, 
and  President  of  the  Piedmont  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  Char- 
lotte, North  Carolina,  he  says:  "In  writing  the  sketch  of  my 
father  I  shall  highly  appreciate  your  treating  the  subject  with  per- 
fect fairness  and  candor."  This  I  have  tried  to  do.  Colonel  A.  B. 
Andrews,  First  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Railway,  says: 
"Mr.  McAden  was  one  of  the  finest  business  men  I  ever  knew,  and 
in  everything  that  tended  to  the  internal  improvement  of  North 
Carolina  he  was  a  brave  and  fearless  leader."  This  is  high  praise 
when  it  comes  from  a  man  who  knows  so  well  how  to  weigh  his 
words.  McAden  was  a  brave  and  strong  man  in  every  phase 
of  his  character.  From  his  Scotch  ancestry  he  inherited  char- 
acteristics of  promptness,  truth,  and  industry,  which  doubtless 
had  much  to  do  in  shaping  his  great  business  career,  and  crowning 
his  life  work  with  success.  His  motto  was  "Whatever  is  worth 
doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well,"  hence  he  did  everything  thor- 
oughly, and  finished  the  matter  entirely  before  leaving  it.  Thus 
he  was  able  to  do  an  immense  amount  of  work  with  less  worry 
than  it  would  give  other  men.  When  he  died  Charlotte  lost  her 
greatest  financier,  and  the  State  lost  a  true  and  loyal  son. 

B.  F,  Dixon. 


JOHN  NEWLAND  MAFFITT 

\  HE  most  picturesque  character  in  the  annals  o£ 
North  Carolina,  perhaps,  was  John  Newland 
Maffitt,  a  captain  in  the  Confederate  Navy,  who 
during  his  eventful  career  was  particularly  dis- 
tinguished for  his  charming  personality,  his  ac- 
complishments, skill  and  heroism. 
His  father,  who  bore  the  same  name  as  the  son,  was  born  in 
Ireland  on  December  25,  1795.  He  was  a  clerg3rman,  lecturer, 
author  and  poet,  a  man  unusually  endowed  by  nature  and  thor- 
oughly educated.  He  was  the  author  of  "Tears  of  Contrition," 
"Pulpit  Sketches,"  and  also  a  volume  of  poems.  For  two  years  he 
was  chaplain  of  the  United  States  Congress.  As  an  evangelist,  he 
made  extended  tours  throughout  the  United  States,  and  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  powerful  pulpit  orators  of  his  day. 
Although  so  many  years  have  passed  since  he  visited  Raleigh,  tra- 
dition still  exists  in  that  community  of  his  wonderful  preaching. 
He  married  in  Ireland  Ann  Camick,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  their  third  child,  was  bom  February  22,  1819,  at  sea,  dur- 
ing their  voyage  to  America.  Eventually  Mr.  Maffitt  located  at 
Mobile,  Alabama,  where  he  died  May  28,  1850. 

It  was  convenient  because  of  his  father's  career  for  the  son  to 
live  with  his  uncle.  Doctor  William  Maffitt,  who  resided  near 
Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  on  a  plantation  which  he  called 
"EUeslie" ;  and  at  the  age  of  five  years  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
passed  from  his  father's  care  and  became  a  member  of  his  uncle's 


204  NORTH  CAROLINA 


household.  His  education  was  begun  at  schools  in  Fayetteville. 
His  friend  and  playmate  in  those  days,  the  brilliant  Duncan  K. 
McRae,  even  late  in  life  well  remembered  that  among  the  adven- 
turous boys  of  his  age  young  Maffitt  was  always  a  leader — "a  bom 
leader/' 

When  only  nine  years  old  his  uncle  placed  him  at  school  at 
White  Plains,  New  York,  under  the  care  of  Professor  Swinburn ; 
and  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  little  boy,  in  that  era  of  stage 
coaches,  made  the  trip  from  Fayetteville  unattended.  At  school 
he  diligently  applied  himself,  was  well  taught,  was  strong  and 
capable,  so  that  on  reaching  his  thirteenth  year  he  was  appointed 
a  Midshipman  in  the  United  States  Navy ;  and  the  following  Sep- 
tember he  joined  his  ship  in  the  West  Indies.  Thus  at  that  early 
period  of  his  life  he  entered  on  a  career  destined  to  be  remarkable, 
in  the  very  theater  where  he  was  to  win  applause. 

In  1835  he  joined  the  Constitution,  the  old  Ironsides,  the  flag-- 
ship  of  the  Mediterranean  squadron,  being  then  sixteen  years  of 
age;  and  in  his  entertaining  book,  "The  Nautilus,"  he  has  pre- 
served some  account  of  the  exciting  incidents  of  his  three  years' 
experience  while  on  that  station,  visiting  and  becoming  familiar 
with  historic  countries  and  places  of  renown. 

Promoted  to  Past-Midshipman,  in  1838  he  was  again  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico ;  and  there,  at  Pensacola,  he  met  Miss  Murrell,  of 
Mobile,  a  lady  remarkable  for  her  beauty  and  loveliness  of  char- 
acter, to  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  1840,  when  just 
twenty-one  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Maffitt's  reputation  as  a  competent  and  skillful  officer  had 
now  become  well  known,  and  in  the  Spring  of  1842  he  was  de- 
tached from  ordinary  service  and  ordered  on  Coast  Survey  duty. 
In  this  new  field  of  work  he  won  the  highest  praise  from  the  Super- 
intendent, Professor  A.  D.  Bache,  LL.D.,  who  reported  to  the 
department  that  Lieutenant  Maffitt  "as  a  surveying  officer  has  not 
been  excelled  by  any  one  with  whom  I  have  come  in  contact,  and 
has  been  equaled  by  few.  The  quantity  and  quality  of  his  work 
IS  remarkable  indeed.  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  capacity, 
efficiency  and  zeal  of  Lieutenant  Maffitt." 


JOHN  NEWLAND  MAFFITT  205 

When  the  Mexican  War  broke  out,  Lieutenant  Maffitt,  anxious 
for  an  opportunity  to  participate  in  its  perils  and  honors,  earnestly 
applied  for  orders  to  the  seat  of  war,  but  Professor  Bache  inter- 
fered, and  he  was  retained  on  the  Coast  Survey  work.  His 
operations  extended  from  Maine  to  Florida ;  at  the  North  during 
the  Summer,  at  the  South  during  the  Winter,  incessantly  at  work, 
and  so  competent  and  efficient  that  at  length  he  was  appointed  as- 
sistant to  the  Superintendent.  His  charts  of  the  coast  proved  of 
great  value,  and  his  Southern  work  was  of  particular  use  during 
the  war  between  the  States. 

His  first  wife,  who  passed  much  of  her  time  at  EUeslie,  bore 
him  two  children :  Florence,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  J.  G. 
Wright,  of  Wilmington;  and  Eugene  Maffitt.  His  wife  dying 
on  August  3,  1852,  he  married  Mrs.  Caroline  Laurens  Read,  a 
member  of  the  distinguished  Laurens  family  of  South  Carolina. 
At  first  their  residence  was  near  Fayetteville,  but  after  a  year 
or  so  Mr.  Maffitt  purchased  a  home  on  the  James  River, 
establishing  his  family  in  the  vicinity  of  that  of  Colonel  John 
Jones,  the  father  of  Captain  J.  Pembroke  Jones,  and  of  other 
friends. 

In  1858,  being  then  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Coast  Sur- 
vey, he  moved  to  Washington  City,  where  his  home  was  fre- 
quented by  a  circle  of  choice  friends — Honorable  Jeremiah  Black, 
Judge  Ratcliffe,  Professor  Bache,  etc.,  and  their  families — social 
life  at  the  Federal  capital  being  then  in  the  zenith  of  perfection. 
Here,  however,  in  1859,  Mrs.  Maffitt  succumbed  to  disease;  but 
his  family  continued  to  occupy  his  home. 

After  sixteen  years  of  distinguished  service  in  Coast  Survey 
work,  during  which  Mr.  Maffitt  won  the  highest  encomiums,  on 
June  I,  1858,  he  was  given  command  of  the  brig  Dolphin  and 
ordered  to  cruise  in  the  Gulf  to  suppress  piracy  and  to  capture 
slavers,  vessels  carrying  cargoes  of  Negroes  from  Africa  to  the 
Spanish  Islands.  These  slavers  were  for  the  most  part  fitted  out 
in  New  England,  and  while  their  cargoes  were  intended  for  Cuba 
and  other  communities  to  the  South  chiefly,  yet  on  one  or  two  oc- 
casions it  was  thought  that  a  cargo  had  been  landed  in  some  of  the 


2o6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

slave-holding  districts  of  the  United  States.  His  cruise  was  suc- 
cessful, and  Lieutenant  Maffitt  was  the  first  American  Navy  of- 
ficer to  capture  a  slaver  with  her  cargo.  It  was  the  brig  Echo 
which,  having  captured,  he  sent  into  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
for  condemnation.  A  year  later  he  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  steamer  Crusader,  and  continued  on  the  same  duty.  With 
her  he  captured  three  more  slavers,  the  last  falling  into  his  hands 
in  August,  i860. 

The  secession  of  some  of  the  Southern  States  made  the  opening* 
of  the  year  1861  ominous.  The  future  seemed  full  of  trouble. 
Officers  whose  lives  had  been  passed  under  the  flag  of  their  coun- 
try, whose  honor  and  glory  was  as  dear  to  them  as  life,  were  now 
much  perplexed.  Many  of  the  army  officers  of  Southern  birth  re- 
signed their  commissions;  the  navy  officers,  abroad  on  the  high 
seas,  were  placed  in  the  most  delicate  situation.  Honor  required 
the  strictest  fidelity  to  the  flag  of  their  country  until  relieved  of 
their  obligations.  At  his  request  Lieutenant  Maffitt  was  on 
March  i,  1861,  detached  from  his  command,  and  he  returned  home 
to  settle  his  accounts.  All  of  his  property  was  at  the  North ;  and 
the  South,  with  no  ships,  offered  no  active  employment  to  Navy 
officers.  But  Lieutenant  Maffitt  did  not  hesitate.  Resolved  to 
share  the  fortunes  of  the  Southern  people,  he  made  every  sacri- 
fice. Early  in  April  he  sent  his  children  to  the  home  of  his  cousin, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Hybart,  at  Elleslie  (near  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina), 
where  they  remained  during  the  period  of  the  war,  and  which  he 
regarded  as  his  own  home,  always  saying,  **I  love  every  blade  of 
grass  about  it."  And  then,  on  May  2d,  having  tendered  his  resig- 
nation in  the  United  States  Navy,  he  turned  his  face  Southward, 
and  five  days  later  offered  his  services  to  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy. His  resignation  was  accepted  by  the  Federal  Government 
on  June  4th  to  date  on  May  2d. 

President  Davis  commissioned  him  Lieutenant  in  the  Confed- 
erate States  Navy,  and  assigned  him  to  duty  with  Commodore 
Tatnall,  who  was  organizing  a  fleet  of  small  vessels  on  the  coast 
of  South  Carolina:  and  Lieutenant  Maffitt  bore  a  distinguished 
part  in  the  battle  of  Hilton  Head,  when  the  Federal  fleet  took  pos- 


JOHN  NEWLAND  MAFFITT  207 

session  of  Port  Royal.    In  the  same  battle  his  son,  Eugene,  re- 
ceived his  baptism  in  blood. 

That  Fall  General  R.  E.  Lee  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  coast,  and  on  November  11,  1861,  Lieutenant  Maffitt  joined  his 
staff  and  was  employed  on  the  special  duty  of  mapping  roads,  con- 
structing forts  and  obstructing  the  Coosaw  River.  His  associa- 
tion with  the  great  chieftain  was  most  agreeable.  Some  three 
years  later  he  brought  through  the  blockade  a  sword  belt  which 
he  intended  to  present  to  General  Lee,  and  having  sent  it,  General 
Lee  wrote  him  the  following  letter : 

"I  have  received  the  sword  belt  you  were  so  kind  as  to  send  me.  It  is 
very  handsome,  and  I  appreciate  it  highly  as  a  token  of  your  remembrance. 
I  recall  with  great  pleasure  the  days  of  our  association  in  Carolina — with 
equal  admiration  your  brilliant  career  since,  in  defence  of  your  country. 
Wishing  you  all  happiness  and  prosperity,  etc" 

The  war  had  broken  out  suddenly  without  any  preparation  for 
it  either  at  the  North  or  the  South.  The  conditions  at  the  North, 
however,  readily  admitted  of  the  organization  of  both  military  and 
naval  forces  and  their  speedy  equipment.  At  the  South  it  was  very 
different,  there  being  neither  ships  of  war  nor  any  naval  or  mili- 
tary stores.  The  first  movement  of  the  Federal  Government  was 
to  declare  the  ports  of  the  South  in  a  state  of  blockade,  but  for 
some  months  there  was  no  adequate  force  to  intercept  commerce. 
For  sometime  ordinary  sailing  vessels  were  engaged  in  carrying 
out  Southern  products  and  bringing  in  needed  cargoes.  At  length, 
at  the  opening  of  1862,  the  Confederate  Government  determined 
to  engage  in  that  enterprise,  and  on  January  7,  1862,  Captain 
Maffitt  was  ordered  to  the  Confederate  States  steamer  Cecile 
to  nm  the  blockade  and  bring  in  arms,  ammunition  and  military 
stores.  He  was  selected  for  this  particular  work  because  of  his 
superior  knowledge  of  the  harbors  of  the  coast,  and  well  did  he 
perform  the  service  with  which  he  was  charged.  He  continued 
to  run  the  blockade  until  May,  when  he  was  ordered  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  Florida,  a  Confederate  steamer  then  at  Nassau.  This 
vessel  had  been  built  in  England  and  had  sailed  under  the  name  of 
Oreto.     Receiving  her,  an  empty  hull.  Captain  Maffitt  equipped 


2o8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

her  under  difficult  circumstances  near  a  desolate  and  uninhabited 
island  known  as  Green  Kay,  some  ninety  miles  southward  of  New 
Providence ;  and  boldly  took  the  sea.  But  yellow  fever  breaking 
out,  it  became  necessary  to  enter  a  Confederate  port,  and  he  de- 
termined to  proceed  to  Mobile.  The  draught  of  the  Florida  made 
it  perilous  to  cross  the  bar  at  night,  and  he  preferred  the  dangers 
of  a  naval  encounter.  At  3  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  Sep- 
tember 4th  he  sighted  Fort  Morgan,  and  three  Federal  men-of-war 
hastened  to  contest  his  entrance.  Oftentimes  boldness  is  the  best 
policy.  Resolutely  he  pressed  forward  under  a  full  head  of  steam, 
steering  directly  for  the  flagship  Oneida.  When  eighty  yards  from 
that  vessel  she  and  the  other  two  blockaders  opened  furiously  upon 
the  Florida,  Without  firing  a  gun  the  Florida  kept  on,  through 
roar  of  shot  and  bursting  shell,  with  crashing  spars  and  rigging, 
mingled  with  the  moans  of  the  wounded,  silently  pursuing  her 
course.  Simultaneously  two  heavy  shells  entered  the  hull  of  the 
Florida  with  a  thud  that  caused  a  vibration  from  stem  to  stern,  but 
nothing  vital  had  been  injured;  and  with  calmness  Maffitt  pressed 
on,  finally  clearing  the  circle  of  his  foes,  whose  artillery  roared 
still  more  furiously,  and  denser  became  the  black  clouds  from  their 
smoke  stacks  as  they  fed  their  fires  with  rosin  to  increase  their 
speed  and  overtake  their  prey  But  the  dangers  were  passed,' and 
the  Florida  successfully  came  to  anchor  under  the  guns  of  Fort 
Morgan. 

Admiral  Porter  in  his  "Naval  History"  recounts  the  wonderful 
story  of  this  perilous  run  through  Commander  Preble's  fleet  in 
broad  daylight,  with  a  crew  decimated  by  yellow  fever,  and  Maffitt 
himself  scarcely  able  to  stand,  owing  to  its  prostrating  effects ;  he 
and  the  man  at  the  wheel  being  alone  on  deck.  He  describes 
Captain  Maffitt  as  standing  "amid  the  storm  of  shot  and  shell  per- 
fectly unmoved,  keenly  watching  the  marks  for  entering  the  port,'* 
and  says : 

"During  the  whole  war  there  was  not  a  more  exciting  adventure  than 
this  escape  of  the  Florida  into  Mobile  Bay.  The  gallant  manner  in  which 
it  was  conducted  excited  great  admiration,  even  among  the  men  who  were 
responsible  for  permitting  it.    We  do  not  suppose  that  there  ever  was  a 


JOHN  NEWLAND  MAFFITT  209 

case  where  a  man,  under  all  the  attending  circumstances,  displayed  more 
energy  and  more  bravery." 

Commodore  Preble  was  dismissed  from  the  service  for  permit- 
ting the  Florida  to  pass  through  his  lines;  subsequently,  how- 
ever, he  was  reinstated.  The  Federal  Government  bent  on  keep- 
ing the  Florida  hermetically  sealed  up  in  Mobile  Bay,  increased 
the  blockading  force,  and  gave  stringent  orders  to  prevent  her 
escape.  Captain  Maffitt,  having  repaired  his  vessel  and  perfected 
her  equipment,  awaited  his  opportunity  to  return  to  the  sea.  A 
perfect  master  of  his  profession  and  at  home  in  the  fiercest  storms, 
he  awaited  a  heavy  gale  to  leave  his  port.  On  January  14,  1863, 
a  terrible  storm  set  in.  It  was  so  violent  that  it  was  impossible 
to  get  under  way  until  two  o'clock  at  night,  and  then  he  passed 
the  bar,  was  discovered  and  pursued  by  half  a  dozen  swift  block- 
aders.  **From  stormy  mom  till  stormy  eve  the  chase  was  vigilantly 
continued;"  but  when  nightfall  came  Maffitt,  fertile  in  expedients, 
furled  his  sails,  stopped  his  engines,  and  allowed  his  pursuers  to 
pass  him  by.  And  then  he  made  sail  and  entered  on  his  career, 
which  extended  from  opposite  New  York  to  a  thousand  miles 
south  of  the  Equator.  Many  vessels  of  great  value  were  seized 
by  him  and  disposed  of  according  to  his  instructions ;  but  he  never 
was  forgetful  of  the  dictates  of  humanity  in  providing  for  those 
whose  misfortune  it  was  to  fall  into  his  power.  He  soon  cap- 
tured a  vessel  freighted  with  a  heavy  cargo  of  anthracite  coal  and 
converted  her  into  a  cruising  storehouse.  Having  captured  a  fast 
brig,  the  Clarence,  he  turned  her  over  to  one  of  his  lieutenants, 
C.  W.  Read,  equipping  her  as  an  armed  tender.  Read  subse- 
quently exchanged  her  for  the  Tacony,  and  made  many  captures 
on  the  coast  of  Maine,  even  entering  the  harbor  of  Portland  at 
night.  Alone  on  the  great  deep,  without  friends,  unable  to  ask 
assistance  in  time  of  distress,  he  braved  the  storms  and  hurricanes 
that  swept  the  seas,  and  proudly  bearing  the  Confederate  flag,  he 
pursued  his  perilous  way,  and  drove  American  commerce  from  the 
highways  of  the  ocean.  After  an  eight  months'  cruise,  during 
which  Captain  Mafiitt  and  his  tenders  made  many  captures  and 
destroyed  property  to  the  value  of  about  ten  millions  of  dollars. 


210  NORTH  CAROLINA 

he  put  into  the  harbor  of  Brest,  in  France,  for  repairs.  He  him- 
self was  still  debilitated  from  the  effects  of  yellow  fever,  and  so  he 
applied  to  be  detached.  As  soon  as  his  health  permitted,  he  took 
command  of  a  blockade  runner  in  England,  the  Florie,  named  for 
his  beautiful  daughter,  and  brought  her  into  Wilmington.  He 
later  made  several  trips  in  command  of  the  Luetic,  bringing  in  a 
large  amount  of  needed  stores.  During  the  brief  periods  when 
his  vessel  was  being  loaded,  he  made  visits  to  his  family  at 
Fayetteville. 

In  the  Fall  of  1864  he  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the 
Ironclad,  Albemarle,  at  Plymouth,  but  toward  the  end  of 
December,  1864,  he  was  given  the  command  of  the  Owl,  and  car- 
ried out  successfully  780  bales  of  cotton.  On  his  return  he  found 
that  the  Federals  had  captured  Fort  Fisher,  but  he  did  not  learn 
of  this  catastrophe  until  he  had  anchored  off  the  wharf  of  Fort 
Caswell,  and  it  became  necessary  to  depart.  He  sought  to  enter 
Charleston,. but  the  blockading  squadron  attacked  him  so  furiously 
that  he  withdrew  from  that  harbor.  He  then  steamed  to  Galves- 
ton, which,  however,  he  found  already  in  the  possession  of  the 
Federals.  Almost  in  despair  he  made  his  way  to  Havana,  and 
from  there  to  Halifax,  still  hoping  to  make  a  Confederate  port. 
At  last,  abandoning  the  hope,  he  obeyed  the  last  order  of  the  Navy 
Department,  given  when  all  hope  for  the  cause  had  departed,  and 
sailed  for  Liverpool,  where  he  turned  over  the  Owl  to  Messrs. 
Frasier,  Trenholm  and  Company. 

On  September  12,  1865,  he  wrote  to  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Hybart: 
"My  stomach  is  too  delicate  as  yet  to  take  the  nauseous  dose  of 
asking  for  pardon."  Indeed,  the  bitterness  of  the  Federal  people 
and  authorities  toward  the  Confederate  Navy  officers  was  beyond 
expression.  These  gentlemen,  who  were  ornaments  of  their  pro- 
fession, were  habitually  stigmatized  as  pirates,  and  regarded  as 
irresponsible  corsairs  beyond  the  pale  of  civilized  warfare;  and 
yet  Federal  Navy  officers  and  others  bore  cheerful  testimony  to  the 
humanity  and  superior  excellence  and  chivalrous  bearing  of 
Captain  Maffitt. 

On  March  7,  1865,  Captain  Maffitt,  having  passed  his  examina- 


JOHN  NEWLAND  MAFFITT  211 

tion  as  a  British  captain,  received  command  of  the  British  merchant 
steamer  Widgeon,  trading  between  Liverpool  and  Rio  Janeiro, 
and  that  vessel  being  sold  to  the  Brazilian  Government,  he  sur- 
rendered her  on  March  27,  1867,  and  finally  returned  to  the  United 
States.  He  soon  located  at  Wilmington,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
on  the  sound,  which  he  named  the  Moorings,  and  there  he  gathered 
his  family  around  him.  Admired  and  beloved  in  that  community 
where  he  was  so  well  known  and  so  justly  esteemed,  his  life  now 
became  most  agreeable  in  its  tranquillity.  A  charming  conversa- 
tionalist, a  man  of  lofty  sentiments  and  a  gentleman  distinguished 
for  refinement  and  courtesy,  he  made  the  Moorings  a  resort  where 
congenial  spirits  loved  to  assemble.  On  November  23,  1870,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Martin,  and  in  her  delightful  com- 
panionship he  prepared  for  publication  his  own  reminiscences 
under  the  title  of  "The  Nautilus,"  and  wrote  an  admirable  account 
of  his  experiences  in  running  the  blockade,  and  various  other 
valuable  sketches,  among  them  biographical  notices  of  Admiral 
Semmes  and  of  Captain  James  W.  Cooke,  of  the  Confederate 
States'  Navy,  who  built  the  Albemarle  and  commanded  her  in  the 
famous  battle  of  Plymouth.  By  his  second  wife  Captain  Maffitt 
had  two  sons,  John  Laurens  and  Colden  Rhind,  and  his  last  mar- 
riage was  blessed  by  three  children,  Mary  Read,  Clarence  Dudley 
and  Robert  Strange.  At  length,  in  the  early  Spring  of  1885,  he 
became  a  sufferer  from  Bright's  disease,  and  on  May  15,  1886,  he 
passed  away,  lamented  by  the  entire  community. 

S,  A.  Ashe. 


CHARLES  DUNCAN   McIVER 


'  T  times  more  or  less  critical  in  the  history  of  our 
State,  it  has  now  and  then  fallen  to  our  lot  to 
pause  in  the  toilsome  journey  of  progress  while 
we  awaited  the  coming  of  a  master  spirit  who 
should  guide  us  safely  and  surely  in  the  direc- 
tion of  some  wished  for  goal.  Nor  have  we  at 
such  times  long  waited  in  vain,  for,  North  Carolina,  whatever 
else  she  may  have  lacked,  has  not  been  wanting  in  men  able  and 
willing  to  dedicate  themselves  to  the  service  of  that  State  whose 
glories  are  her  sacrifices  and  whose  spirit  finds  truthful  expression 
in  her  motto,  "To  be  rather  than  to  seem."  Thus,  whether  the 
call  came  in  war  or  peace  it  mattered  not.  It  was  sufficient  to 
know  that  there  was  service  to  be  rendered,  and  it  followed  that 
what  men  could  do  was  done. 

Among  those  who  have  thus  faithfully  and  efficiently  served 
the  Mother  State  in  time  of  need  is  to  be  included  the  name  of 
Charles  Duncan  Mclver.  Bom  September  27,  i860,  on  a  farm 
near  Sanford,  in  Moore  County,  North  Carolina,  he  was  ushered 
into  the  world  in  the  midst  of  the  most  exciting  Presidential 
campaign  in  the  history  of  our  country.  But  all  unnoticed  by  him 
passed  the  partizan  and  political  strife  then  absorbing  the  attention 
of  State  and  nation ;  nor  was  his  child-mind  old  enough  to  com- 
prehend the  momentous  significance  of  the  years  which  followed, 
when  fratricidal  war  wrought  havoc  in  the  land  and  left  in  its 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  213 

desolating  wake  ravages  scarce  repaired  by  a  long  thirty  years  of 
matchless  striving.  The  aftermath  of  war  it  was  given  him  to 
know  and  feel,  not  through  a  morbid  recounting  of  its  incurable 
evils,  nor  through  the  handing  down  of  a  heritage  of  hate,  but  by 
means  of  the  saner  teachings  of  economy,  self-denial  and  bodily 
toil,  lessons  hard  in  the  learning,  but  mighty  in  the  making  of 
men. 

The  region  around  what  is  now  the  town  of  Sanford  was 
peopled  largely  by  settlers  whose  ancestors  came  from  the  High- 
lands of  Scotland.  Evander  Mclver,  when  eight  years  old,  bade 
farewell  to  his  rugged  birthplace,  the  Isle  of  Skye,  and  with  his 
father  made  his  new  home  in  the  pleasant  sand  hills  of  North 
Carolina.  In  his  son,  Matthew  Henry,  the  father  of  Charles  D. 
Mclver,  were  exemplified  the  many  sterling  traits  that  history 
shows  to  be  characteristic  of  the  Highland  Scotch.  Among  these 
traits  may  be  mentioned  earnest  piety,  devotion  to  liberty,  respect 
for  law  and  order,  and  love  for  education.  A  successful  farmer,  a 
respected  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a  useful  and  influential 
citizen,  he  was  an  admirable  type  of  that  class  upon  which  in  great- 
est measure  rests  the  stability  of  State  and  society.  A  similar 
description  applies  to  the  maternal  ancestors  of  Charles  D.  Mclver, 
who  were  of  Scotch  and  English  descent.  To  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Harrington,  and  who  on  her  maternal  side  is 
descended  from  the  McNeills  of  Scotland,  the  son  ascribes  the 
formative  and  directive  influences  of  his  early  years.  No  small 
measure  of  the  fruit  of  his  useful  life  is  of  seed  of  her  careful 
sowing.  Leal  and  true — these  Scotch  and  English  ancestors  de- 
cided in  their  convictions  on  questions  of  church  and  State,  yet 
tolerant  and  charitable ;  patriotically  responding  to  the  call  of  the 
South  in  her  hour  of  need,  and  bravely  giving  themselves  to  the 
rebuilding  of  waste  places  in  the  dark  years  that  followed ;  fearers 
of  God,  and  supporters  of  schools  and  churches,  it  is  worth  some- 
thing to  be  bom  in  a  community  of  which  such  men  are  citizens, 
and  to  reckon  them  among  one's  neighbors  and  personal  friends. 

Amid  the  thrifty  and  orderly  influences  of  this  Christian  home 
and  community,  in  attendance  upon  the  excellent  private  schools 


214  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  the  neighborhood,  and  in  the  daily  performance  of  all  the  vari- 
ous labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  healthy  farmer  boy,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  spent  the  first  seventeen  years  of  his  life.  Here 
were  laid  the  foundations  of  that  vigorous  health  that  has  enabled 
him  to  stand  so  well  the  mental  and  physical  strain  of  later  years, 
and  here  were  implanted  that  love  for  man  and  nature,  and  that 
intelligent  and  sympathetic  appreciation  of  the  needs  of  our  rural 
commonwealth  which  have  proved  valuable  forces  in  fitting  him 
to  become  an  able  champion  of  the  great  cause  of  universal 
education. 

The  Fall  of  1877  found  our  farmer  lad  enrolled  as  a  student  of 
the  University  of  North  Carolina.  Here  he  spent  four  profitable 
years,  graduating  in  1881  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
In  scholarship  he  took  high  rank,  leading  his  class  in  Greek  and 
French,  and  sharing  with  three  others  the  honors  in  Latin. 

Undecided  as  yet  upon  his  life  work,  he  turned  to  the  profession 
of  teaching,  and  in  the  Fall  of  188 1  became  assistant  in  a  private 
school  in  Durham,  North  Carolina.  His  ability  won  quick  rec- 
ognition, and  in  the  Spring  of  the  same  scholastic  year  he  was 
made  principal  of  the  school.  In  May,  1882,  he  cast  his  first  vote, 
this  being  in  favor  of  a  local  tax  for  the  support  of  the  Durham 
public  school  system.  The  fact  is  worthy  of  record  in  that  as  a 
private  school  man  he  voted  for  a  measure  which,  though  for  the 
public  good,  seemed  decidedly  against  his  own  personal  interests. 
He  assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Durham  graded  schools, 
and,  after  serving  them  as  principal  for  one  and  one-half  years, 
resigned  to  accept  a  similar  position  and  to  perform  a  similar 
work  in  the  schools  of  Winston.  Here  he  remained  from 
Febmary,  1884,  until  September,  1886,  at  which  time  he  accepted 
a  call  to  Peace  Institute,  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where,  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  literary  department,  he  remained  until  June,  1889. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  fully  decided  upon  his  life-work,  and 
rejecting  attractive  oflfers  of  partnerships  in  business  and  law 
strove  to  make  himself  master  of  his  chosen  profession — ^teaching. 
He  put  himself  in  touch  with  the  quickening  forces  of  the  time, 
and  sought  to  add  to  the  strength  of  the  old,  the  inspiration  of 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  215 

the  new,  era.  Visits  of  inspection  were  made  to  schools  of  prom- 
ise, and  conferences  sought  with  able  educational  leaders.  The 
ideas  thus  obtained  were  accepted,  modified,  or  rejected,  as  the 
actual  work  of  the  schoolroom  proved  them  valuable  and  prac- 
ticablie,  or  the  reverse.  He  early  associated  himself  with  the  North 
Carolina  Teachers'  Assembly  as  one  of  its  active  members  and 
supporters.  The  vacation  periods  of  every  year  were  devoted 
to  work  in  county  institutes  and  in  State  Summer  schools.  In 
addition  to  his  labors  as  teacher  and  lecturer,  he  served  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  State  Summer  Normal  School  at  Wilson,  and  for  two 
successive  terms  as  superintendent  of  the  Summer  Normal  School 
at  Sparta.  While  thus  availing  himself  of  the  means  at  hand  to 
promote  the  interests  of  public  education,  he  was  quick  to  realize 
the  inadequacy  of  the  work  as  then  conducted.  "The  majority 
of  teachers,"  he  reports  in  1887,  "cannot  go  a  great  distance  to 
attend  normal  schools.  Small  salaries  and  short  school  terms 
render  it  in  many  cases  impossible.  Efficient  county  insti- 
tutes should  be  brought  within  the  reach  of  every  teacher  in  the 
State."* 

Here  we  have  presented  in  few  words  the  lines  of  future  edu- 
cational reform.  Institutes  within  the  reach  of  every  teacher — 
will  he  do  aught  to  accomplish  this  ?  Larger  salaries  for  teachers, 
a  longer  school  term,  with  the  increased  appropriations  which 
these  imply  and  the  higher  professional  equipment  and  better  ser- 
vice which  they  in  turn  demand — will  he  do  more  than  call  the 
attention  of  the  State  Superintendent  to  these  needs?  But  we 
must  not  anticipate. 

To  the  urgent  need  of  better  qualified  teachers  those  interested 
in  education  now  began  to  give  earnest  attention.  Through  the 
agency  of  the  Teachers'  Assembly  petitions  for  the  establishment 
of  a  normal  training  school  were  several  times  presented  to  the 
Legislature — but  without  effect.  Feeling  that  more  active  steps 
should  be  taken,  Charles  D.  Mclver,  in  1889,  made  a  stirring 
speech  before  his  fellow-educators  at  their  annual  meeting,  which 

♦Bennial  Report  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  1887-88, 
page  40. 


2i6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  committee,  of  which  he  was  made 
chairman,  to  appear  before  the  Legislature  at  its  next  session  and 
personally  present  and  urge  the  adoption  of  a  bill  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  training  school  for  teachers. 

On  a  day  agreed  upon  the  members  of  the  committee  appeared 
before  the  General  Assembly,  presented  the  bill  and  earnestly  advo- 
cated its  passage.  The  Chairman,  being  at  the  time  a  resident  of 
Raleigh,  was  in  a  position  to  labor  continuously  in  behalf  of  the 
measure  of  which  henceforth  he  was  the  recognized  champion. 
He  met  with  little  encouragement  and  with  much  opposition,  but 
so  convincingly  did  he  press  home  his  arguments  in  personal  con- 
ferences with  members  of  the  Legislature,  that,  to  the  surprise  of 
all,  the  bill  passed  the  Senate  by  a  large  majority  and  failed  in 
the  House  by  only  a  few  votes. 

Although  the  General  Assembly  did  not  at  this  time  provide 
for  the  establishment  of  a  State  normal  college,  it  wisely  trans- 
ferred the  appropriation  hitherto  devoted  to  the  eight  Summer 
normal  schools  to  the  maintenance  of  a  system  of  county  insti- 
tutes. Thus  provision  was  made  for  carrying  into  effect  the  rec- 
ommendation urged  by  our  Sparta  normal  school  superintendent 
of  bringing  institutes  within  reach  of  every  teacher  in  the  State. 
Charles  D.  Mclver  and  Edwin  A.  Alderman,  then  superintendent 
of  the  Goldsboro  schools,  were  induced  to  take  charge  of  this 
work,  and  were  therefore  appointed  State  institute  conductors. 

Now  began  one  of  the  most  important  campaigns  ever  con- 
ducted in  the  State,  and  perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting  in 
the  history  of  public  education.  For  three  years,  from  September, 
1889,  to  September,  1892,  Winter  and  Summer,  these  men 
preached  a  crusade  in  behalf  of  universal  education.  In  every 
county  and  in  every  important  city  and  town  in  the  State,  by  lec- 
tures, by  teaching,  by  public  addresses,  by  conferences  with  teach- 
ers and  school  committeemen,  by  talks  with  farmers,  editors, 
county  officials  and  politicians,  by  every  approved  method,  in 
short,  known  to  advocate  and  reformer,  the  work  was  diligently 
and  vigorously  prosecuted.  The  good  results  of  their  labors  are 
with  us  to-day,  and  will  continue  to  bless  the  commonwealth  when 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  217 

we,  our  children,  and  our  children's  children  have  finished  life's 
appointed  lessons  and  put  the  books  away. 

"My  work,"  declares  the  man  whose  career  we  are  following,  "is  con- 
ducted with  a  view  to  stimulating  and  encouraging  the  teachers,  and  to 
making  friends  to  the  cause  of  public  education  among  the  people.  .  .  . 
My  institutes  last  five  days.  The  first  four  days  are  devoted  mainly  to  the 
professional  work  of  the  teacher.  Lectures  are  delivered  on  the  different 
branches  taught  in  the  public  schools;  on  school  organization,  discipline, 
methods  of  teaching,  and  methods  of  studying ;  on  school  law,  and  on  the 
proper  use  of  the  books  on  the  State  list.  Friday,  the  fifth  day,  is,  in  a 
special  sense,  'People's  Day.*  The  school  committeemen  and  people  gen- 
erally are  urged  to  attend,  and  the  exercises  are  arranged  with  a  view  to 
interesting  and  instructing  them  in  the  work  of  public  education.  Besides 
various  other  exercises,  a  special  address  is  made  on  that  day,  showing 
the  necessity  for  education  by  taxation,  and  answering  objections  to  it  com- 
monly heard  among  the  people."* 

Amid  the  arduous  duties  of  his  campaign  work  the  necessity 
of  a  training  school  for  teachers  was  not  forgotten.  In  truth,  this 
may  be  reckoned  one  of  the  means  on  which  more  and  more  he 
came  to  rely  as  promising  most  surely  to  secure  the  great  end  he 
had  in  view — universal  education.  Another  problem  now  pre- 
sented itself — namely,  where  should  volunteers  for  this  needful 
service  be  found  in  largest  numbers,  who,  when  trained,  would  make 
the  best  and  most  sympathetic  instructors  of  the  State's  children? 
Wider  and  more  varied  experience  and  a  deeper  insight  into  the 
real  sources  of  the  mental  and  moral  progress  of  the  human  race 
convinced  him  that  his  syllogism,  which  before  had  been — Edu- 
cation a  State  necessity,  the  teacher  the  chief  means  of  education ; 
therefore,  the  teacher  a  primary  object  of  State  concern,  might 
be  carried  logically  further  and  made  to  read :  Universal  education 
a  necessity,  woman  the  universal  educator;  therefore,  the  educa- 
tion of  woman  the  foundation  of  human  progress. 

This  advocacy  of  the  more  liberal  education  of  woman  is  shown 
not  only  in  his  public  addresses  of  that  period,  but  in  his  written 
reports  and  recommendations  to  the  State  Superintendent  of  Pub- 

♦Report  of  Conductors  of  County  Institutes  in  North  Carolina,  1889-90, 
page  15. 


2i8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

He  Instruction.  His  report  of  June  30,  1890,  contains  this  sig- 
nificant utterance  relating  to  the  establishment  of  a  State  normal 
college : 

"To  those  who  are  still  skeptical  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  training-school 
movement,  I  would  add  one  more  reason  why  the  school  should  be  es- 
tablished and  be  liberally  supported  by  the  State.  Under  our  present  sys- 
tem of  higher  and  collegiate  education,  a  white  girl,  unless  her  father  is 
comparatively  wealthy,  cannot,  as  a  rule,  get  the  scholarship  necessary  to 
make  her  a  first-rate  teacher.  Her  brother  can  get  it  at  the  University 
and  colleges  of  the  State,  because  in  those  institutions  about  three-fourths 
of  his  tuition  is  paid  by  the  State  and  the  churches.  Up  to  the  present 
time  the  State  and  our  leading  churches  have  adopted  the  suicidal  policy 
of  refusing  to  help  educate  white  girls,  except  in  the  public  schools.  .  .  . 
The  girls  who  would,  if  prepared,  make  the  best  teachers  for  the  State's 
children,  cannot  even  get  the  scholarship  necessary  to  become  teachers. 
One  of  the  results  of  this  is  that  two-thirds  of  our  public  school  teachers 
are  men,  whereas  two-thirds,  at  least,  ought  to  be  women.  The  State  ap- 
propriates nothing  for  the  training  of  white  women,  except  the  $4000  for 
the  Institutes.  It  appropriates  $8000  to  the  training  of  colored  teachers 
and  uses  it  in  helping — both  sexes.  In  this  way  the  State  appropriates  as 
much  to  train  one  negro  woman  as  it  does  to  train  four  white  women,  for 
there  are  about  twice  as  many  white  as  negro  women  in  the  State.  By  the 
help  of  the  State,  the  churches  and  the  philanthropists,  a  fair  opportunity 
of  getting  an  education  is  given  to  every  white  boy,  negro  boy  and  negro 
girl  in  North  Carolina.  Neither  of  the  three  has  to  pay  more  than  one-fifth 
of  the  expenses  of  tuition;  but  the  white  girl  must  pay  for  every  cent  of 
hers.  If  the  training  school  shall  be  established  for  white  girls,  it  will 
make  education  possible  to  thousands  of  girls  who,  under  present  condi- 
tions, must  grow  up  in  a  state  of  ignorance  and  dependence  worse  than  al- 
most any  other  form  of  slavery.  In  addition.  North  Carolina  will  secure 
teachers  better  than  she  has  ever  had  and  who  will  bless  her  because  she 
has  blessed  them."* 

His  report  thus  emphasizes  the  justice  and  the  wisdom  of  State 
provision  for  the  higher  education  of  white  women.  An  objection 
urged  against  the  former  bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  teachers' 
training  school  was  its  co-educational  feature.  In  1891  Mr.  Mc- 
Iver  and  his  friend  and  associate,  Mr.  Alderman,  were  again  before 

♦Reports  of  Conductors  of  County  Institutes  in  North  Carolina,  1889-90, 
pages  20,  21. 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  219 

the  Legislature  with  a  bill  for  the  establishment  of  the  much  needed 
institution,  but  this  time,  with  the  co-educational  feature  omitted. 
The  bill  passed  almost  without  opposition,  and  thus,  more  than 
one  hundred  years  after  the  University  was  chartered,  the  State 
established  its  college  for  women.  Of  this  college  the  board  of 
directors,  consisting  of  one  member  from  each  Congressional  dis- 
trict, elected  Charles  Duncan  Mclver  President. 

Now  it  was  that  this  people's  servant  sought  to  build  a  people's 
college,  not  a  thing  of  brick  and  stone,  but  an  institution  both 
worthy  of  and  representative  of  the  State  that  gave  it  birth.  It 
should  be  an  open  door  of  opportunity  to  every  worthy  white  girl, 
however  poor,  however  rich,  within  the  borders  of  the  common- 
wealth— ^a  means  of  fitting  her  for  good  and  useful  citizenship. 
A  woman's  college  for  North  Carolina  women  it  should  be,  char- 
acterized by  sound  learning,  liberal  culture,  earnest  living  and 
high  thinking,  but  not  by  narrow  specialization  on  the  one  hand, 
nor  by  a  profitless  striving  for  showy  accomplishments  on  the 
other.  The  best  that  a  State  could  give  should  be  theirs ;  the  best 
that  educated  woman  could  give  should  be  the  State's.  In 
this  spirit  was  the  institution  conceived,  and  in  this  spirit  has  the 
State  Normal  and  Industrial  College  lived,  and  grown  and 
labored,  presided  over,  inspired,  guided  and  led,  by  one  who  has 
not  spared  to  give  to  it  all  that  man  may  give. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  other  public  institution  was  ever  in  so  true 
a  sense  the  product  of  the  unselfish  love  and  labor  of  one  man. 
As  to  him  in  largest  measure  are  owing  its  conception  and  crea- 
tion, so  to  him  are  due  its  internal  and  external  workings,  the  policy 
which  characterizes  it,  and  the  success  which'  it  has  achieved. 
And  this  is  true  not  merely  in  the  larger  matters  pertaining  to  its 
general  management,  but  in  all  the  details  relating  to  its  work  and 
administration.  The  college  plant  and  its  equipment,  the  depart- 
ments of  instruction,  the  courses  of  study,  the  various  organiza- 
tions, the  ideas  for  which  the  institution  stands,  the  spirit  it  ex- 
emplifies, the  work  it  seeks  to  accomplish,  its  relation  to  the  pub- 
lic and  the  relation  of  the  public  to  the  college — all  these,  in  a  very 
true  sense,  find  in  him  their  source  and  sustenance,  and  this,  not 


220  NORTH  CAROLINA 

in  a  spirit  of  formal  oversight  and  official  dictation,  but  through 
the  living  spirit  of  creative  work  and  felldw  service. 

And  to  what  extent  have  these  ideas  been  realized,  and  what 
fruit  have  these  labors  borne  ?  Let  him  answer  who  can  estimate 
the  value  to  State  and  nation  of  over  3000  women,  who,  in  the 
short  space  of  fourteen  years,  have  availed  themselves  of  the  ad- 
vantages here  provided,  and  with  increased  power  of  usefulness 
and  enlightened  zeal  for  service  have  passed  on  teaching  lessons 
of  right  thinking  and  right  living  to  more  than  200,000  North 
Carolina  children.  Let  him  consider  that  the  students  have  come 
from  every  county  in  the  State,  that  they  represent  every  respecta- 
ble calling,  profession  and  industry,  and  every  form  of  honest 
labor  in  which  the  people  of  North  Carolina  are  engaged;  that 
there  is  not  a  county  in  the  State  in  which  representatives  of  the 
college  are  not  to  be  found  actively  engaged  in  public  service ;  and, 
finally,  that  two-thirds  of  all  the  students  enrolled,  and  more  than 
nine-tenths  of  those  who  graduate  become  teachers  in  North  Caro- 
lina. A  veritable  fulfilling  of  his  prophecy  this — education  made 
possible  to  thousands,  and  the  State  blessed  in  her  teachers  because 
she  has  blessed  them ! 

We  would  willingly  dwell  at  length  upon  this  phase  of 
Doctor  Mclver's  work,  on  the  intimate  relations  he  sustains  to 
the  State's  College  for  Women,  and  on  the  influences  which 
through  it  he  has  exerted  upon  public  education.  What  this 
virile  man  has  done  in  supplying  strength  where  of  old  existed 
finishing-school  superficiality,  how  he  has  inculcated  ideas  of  ser- 
vice, how  he  has  made  vital  the  conception  of  woman  as  a  citizen, 
how  he  has  diffused  abroad  a  spirit  of  wholesome  democracy — 
and  all  this  through  constructive  labors,  preserving,  strengthen- 
ing, and  multiplying  the  influences  that  make  for  culture  and  true 
womanliness — ^this,  did  space  permit,  we  would  willingly  em* 
phasize.  But  the  mere  suggestion  must  suffice,  for  things  unsaid 
press  upon  us  and  on  details  we  may  not  linger. 

Important  as  are  these  services,  they  constitute  but  a  part  of 
the  faithful  labors  which  have  won  for  him  State  and  national 
recognition  as  an  educational  leader  and  statesman.    State  appre- 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  221 

ciation  may  be  said  to  find  expression  in  an  editorial  appearing 
in  one  of  our  leading  North  Carolina  daily  newspapers  which, 
under  date  of  January  24,  1904,  asserts  that  he  "has  been  a  leading 
force  in  every  movement  lookfng  for  progress,  educational  or 
otherwise,  in  North  Carolina,"  .  .  .  and  concludes  by  saying, 
"When  the  history  of  this  decade  is  written,  the  story  of  the  public 
service  rendered  his  State  by  Charles  Duncan  Mclver  will  be  one 
of  the  brightest  pages  in  that  splendid  volume  of  patriotic  achieve* 
ment.  There  is  not  a  man  in  the  State  who  has  made  himself  felt 
so  powerfully  and  so  helpfully  for  progress." 

The  national  point  of  view  may  be  taken  as  indicated  in  an 
article  on  Public  School  Leaders  appearing  in  the  July,  1905, 
magazine  number  of  the  Outlook.  Relative  to  the  topic  under 
consideration  it  says : 

"In  the  Southern  States  there  is  no  man  better  entitled  to  be  called  a 
champion  of  the  public  schools,  and  of  the  whole  idea  of  popular  educa- 
tion, than  Charles  Duncan  Mclver,  of  North  Carolina.  .  .  .  He  is  a 
man  of  intense  earnestness,  energy,  insight  and  common  sense.  For  the  past 
twenty  years  his  voice  has  been  raised  in  behalf  of  popular  education,  not 
only  in  every  county  of  his  own  State,  but  throughout  the  South  and  in 
great  national  assemblies.  There  is  no  abler  speaker  on  this  subject  than 
Doctor  Mclver.  He  has  been  the  soul  of  the  forward  movement  in  his 
region,  and  he  is  now  chairman  of  the  Campaign  Committee  inaugurated 
by  the  Southern  Education  Board  for  the  promotion  of  universal 
education." 

The  wide  variety  of  this  public  service  is  indicated  by  the  posi- 
tions of  honor  and  influence  thus  far  held  by  Doctor  Mclver  in 
the  course  of  his  busy  life.  In  addition  to  the  fourteen  years  of 
his  college  Presidency  and  the  work  already  referred  to  as  con- 
ductor of  State  and  county  institutes,  superintendent  of  Summer 
normal  schools,  and  chairman  of  the  committee  that  secured  the 
establishment  of  the  Normal  and  Industrial  College,  he  has  been 
a  participant  in  all  the  important  work  of  the  North  Carolina 
Teachers'  Assembly  and  its  President  in  1892;  a  worker  in  the 
Southern  Educational  Association  and  its  President  in  1905,  and 
an  active  member  of  the  National  Educational  Association,  serving 
at  various  times  as  chairman  of  its  Committee  on  Resolutions, 


222  NORTH  CAROLINA 

member  of  its  Committee  on  Education  and  Taxation,  President 
of  its  Normal  School  Department,  and  member  of  its  National 
Council.  During  the  administration  of  Governor  Elias  Carr  he 
served  as  Proxy  to  represent  the  State  stock  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad  Company.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Southern  Education  Board  and  is  the  efficient  chairman  of  its 
Campaign  Committee  and  a  leader  in  the  movement  for  local  taxa- 
tion for  public  schools  throughout  North  Carolina.  To  him  is 
owing  the  organization  of  the  Woman's  Association  for  the  Bet- 
terment of  Public  Schools.  He  has  since  its  organization  been  a 
member  of  the  State  Literary  and  Historical  Association,  and  is 
Vice-President  of  the  State  Library  Association.  A  loyal  son  of 
his  Alma  Mater,  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  he  has  served 
it  officially  as  trustee  and  member  of  its  Executive  Committee,  and 
has  liberally  and  heartily  supported  every  movement  for  the  pro- 
motion of  its  influences  and  welfare.  In  recognition  of  his  public 
services  the  University  has  conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degrees 
of  Doctor  of  Letters  and  Doctor  of  Laws.  In  presenting  him  for 
the  latter  degree.  Doctor  Charles  Alphonso  Smith,  dean  of  the 
graduate  department,  said: 

"I  have  the  honor  to  present  ...  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws  .  .  .  Charles  Duncan  Mclver,  President  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina State  Normal  and  Industrial  College  for  Women.  As  State  Institute 
Conductor  from  1889  to  1892,  he  first  showed  himself  peculiarly  fitted  to 
be  a  molder  of  educational  thought.  A  firm  believer  in  the  education  of 
all  the  people,  he  has  devoted  his  rare  powers  of  organization  and  appeal 
more  especially  to  the  education  of  women.  'No  State,'  he  declares,  'which 
will  educate  its  mothers  need  have  any  fear  about  future  illiteracy.'  That 
this  sentiment  has  at  last  found  recognition  not  only  in  the  educational 
creed,  but  also  in  the  educational  policy  of  North  Carolina  is  due  more 
to  Doctor  Mclver  than  to  any  other  one  man." 

To  add  to  this  already  long  list  the  various  local  organizations, 
city  and  county,  to  which  he  has  belonged,  such,  for  example,  as 
the  Young  Men's  Business  Association,  the  Industrial  and  Im- 
migration Association,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Guilford 
County  Board  of  School  Improvement,  and  the  North  Carolina 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  223 

Reunion  Association — ^to  mention  all  such  organizations  and  to 
specify  the  committees  on  which  he  has  served  would  be  to  convert 
the  latter  part  of  this  sketch  largely  into  a  catalogue  of  society 
and  committee  names.  Interpreted  aright  there  is  a  profound  sig- 
nificance in  this  long  array  of  social,  industrial,  educational,  busi- 
ness, literary  and  historical  associations,  since  it  indicates  not  only 
a  healthful  interest  in  national.  State  and  local  affairs,  but  a  wide 
and  intimate  familiarity  with  the  agencies  of  progress  and  a  whole* 
souled  enlistment  of  his  energies  in  all  movements  that  promise 
to  promote  the  public  good. 

It  is  as  a  public  speaker  and  orator  that  Doctor  Mclver  is  most 
widely  known  to  the  general  public  both  in  his  own  State  and  be- 
yond its  borders.  The  demands  thus  made  upon  him  are  frequent 
and  at  times  almost  continuous.  It  is  his  custom  to  carry  with  him 
a  pocket  calendar  on  which  are  noted  the  dates  of  promised  ad- 
dresses. When  a  new  appointment  is  sought,  he  consults  his 
calendar,  names  the  nearest  unfilled  date,  and  thus,  by  an  unending 
process,  adds  to  what  he  calls  his  "incidental  and  vacation  work." 
Appointments  are  often  made  several  months  in  advance  and  it  is 
not  unusual  for  him  to  have  every  available  date  filled  for  six 
weeks  in  succession.  The  acceptance  of  these  invitations  is  de- 
termined by  the  opportunity  for  service  afforded  by  the  particular 
town,  city  or  community  from  which  comes  the  call.  If  any  doubt 
arises  the  chances  are  nearly  always  in  favor  of  the  smaller  and 
weaker  community,  and  the  message  is  carried  to  the  few  hun- 
dreds that  gather  at  the  cross-roads,  store  or  country  church  rather 
than  to  the  larger  number  who  assemble  in  opera  house  or  city  hall. 
The  message,  too,  has  reference  to  the  needs  and  special  condi- 
tions of  time  and  place,  and  thus  constitutes  a  sowing  of  good 
seed  in  suitable  soil,  for  it  is  safe  to  say  that  Charles  D.  Mclver 
never  addressed  an  audience  without  having  a  distinct  end  in  view 
and  that  end  the  provoking  to  good  works.  There  are  few  places 
in  North  Carolina  where  his  voice  has  not  been  raised  in  behalf  of 
some  public  measure.  Large  audiences,  too,  in  great  cities  far 
removed  from  his  native  State,  have  greeted  this  educational 
leader,  and  from  his  lips  heard  wholesome  truths  relative  to  our 


224  NORTH  CAROLINA 

educational  progress.  Thus  he  has  been  invited  to  make  educa- 
tional addresses  in  more  than  one-half  of  the  States  in  the  Union. 

His  favorite  topics  are,  of  course,  those  that  relate  to  education, 
but  as  this  is  among  the  most  comprehensive  of  subjects,  his  ad- 
dresses may  be  said  to  embody  a  wide  range  of  themes.  He  is 
not  a  man  to  deal  in  generalities,  but  with  a  particular  purpose 
in  view  selects  a  timely  theme,  appropriate  to  a  given  audience, 
and  seeks  by  means  of  a  clear  and  forceful  presentation  of  facts 
to  accomplish  a  definite  result.  He  will,  for  example,  address 
a  body  of  lawmakers  on  the  duty  of  the  State  to  make  liberal  pro- 
vision for  the  education  of  its  citizens — ^the  citizens  themselves 
on  the  advantages  of  local  taxation  for  public  schools.  Or,  the 
"Teacher  as  a  Citizen"  will  perhaps  be  the  subject  of  a  talk  to 
teachers,  and  when  urged  to  repeat  it  before  a  general  audience, 
he  will  respond  with  an  address  on  the  Citizen  as  a  Teacher. 
Although  an  interested  student  of  our  past  history,  he  seldom 
draws  upon  its  storehouse  for  the  materials  of  his  public  dis- 
courses, but  prefers  to  live  in  the  present  and  in  it  to  find  the  chief 
objects  of  public  concern.  With  him  the  past  is  our  heritage,  the 
present  our  opportunity,  and  the  future — a  result  of  the  labors  of 
to-day.  To  the  work  at  hand  he  therefore  addresses  himself,  and 
though  he  sometimes  sees  visions,  he  never  dreams  dreams.  All 
his  speeches,  whether  intended  primarily  for  men  or  women,  and 
whether  addressed  to  students,  teachers,  civic  organizations,  or  the 
general  public,  have  this  one  thing  in  common — they  all,  without 
exception,  emphasize  the  duty  of  public  and  community  service. 

While  relying  chiefly  upon  the  power  of  the  spoken  word  as 
an  agency  in  conveying  his  message  to  mankind,  he  has  not  been 
unmindful  of  the  influence  of  the  pen.  Amid  the  duties  of 
official  life  and  the  numerous  outside  calls  made  upon  him,  he  has 
found  time  to  write  much  that  is  of  more  than  passing  value.  His 
newspaper  and  magazine  articles,  his  educational  campaign  docu- 
ments and  official  reports,  and  his  speeches,  revised  and  prepared 
for  publication,  these,  if  gathered  together,  would  doubtless  com- 
prise several  goodly  volumes,  and  would  constitute  a  valuable  ad- 
dition to  the  literature  relating  to  education  and  civic  ideals.    His 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  225 

writings,  like  his  speeches,  are  clear  and  forceful  discussions  of 
topics  pertaining  to  education  and  public  service. 

The  life  here  sketched  would  seem  to  leave  little  opportunity 
for  the  enjoyment  of  the  quieter  pleasures  of  home,  and  the  leisure 
and  happiness  which  home  suggests.  But  the  life  here  sketched  is 
but  the  outer  and  visible  workings  of  an  innner  life  which  finds  its 
center  in  the  home  and  family.  In  Miss  Lula  V.  Martin,  of  Win- 
ston, North  Carolina,  Charles  D.  Mclver  found  a  life  companion 
whose  Christian  graces  of  character  and  powers  of  intellectual 
sympathy  render  her  the  true  encourager  of  worthy  efforts  and  a 
wise  judge  and  rewarder  of  success.  Four  children,  a  son  and 
three  daughters,  add  happiness  to  their  union.  A  simple  home 
is  theirs,  blessed  by  generous  affection  and  pervaded  by  an  atmos- 
phere of  hospitality  and  genial  courtesy — ^a  home  where  culture 
and  quiet  refinement  are  justly  esteemed  and  where  trust  in  God 
and  faith  in  humanity  remain  unquestioned  and  sincere.  Their 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Scotch  Covenanters,  adhered  to  in  its 
simplicity,  but  lived  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  rather  than  of 
sect.  They  have  amassed  no  wealth,  yet  none  would  call  them 
poor,  for  love  and  confidence  here  bear  choice  fruits,  and  mutual 
sympathy  and  helpfulness  add  that  which  mere  worldly  wealth 
is  ever  powerless  to  bestow. 

Twenty-five  years  have  elapsed  since,  diploma  in  hand, 
Charles  D.  Mclver  passed  from  college  halls  into  the  larger  school 
of  life.  In  the  prime  of  his  vigor  and  usefulness  he  bids  fair  to 
add  to  them  twenty-five  other  years  rich  with  the  fruitage  of 
abundant  harvests.  The  work  already  done  he  may  not  do  again ; 
but  work  there  will  be  for  his  willing  hands  to  do  and  he  will  do 
it  with  his  might.  He  has  accomplished  much,  and  in  the  doing 
of  it  has  taught  us  to  demand  of  him,  and  of  ourselves,  and  of  all 
men — ^more.  This,  we  suspect,  is  as  he  would  have  it,  for  his 
message  to  his  fellow  man  has  been:  Live  more  abundantly 
through  more  abundant  service,  striving  hopefully  for  the  larger 
things  of  life. 

Even  as  the  proof  sheets  of  this  sketch  were  passing  through  the 
press,  there  came  to  Charles  Duncan  Mclver  the  call — "Enter 


226  NORTH  CAROLINA 

into  rest."  The  story  of  a  people's  grief  is  indicated  by  the  fol- 
lowing tributes,  few  among  hundreds,  all  expressive  of  the  keen- 
est personal  loss,  yet  eloquent,  also,  in  gratitude  for  a  life  so  nobly 
spent  in  the  service  of  humanity. 

From  Press  Correspondence: 

"The  tour  of  William  J.  Bryan  through  North  Carolina  began  yesterday ' 
afternoon  (September  17,  1906)  with  the  departure  of  his  special  train 
for  Greensboro  accompanied  by  a  large  party  of  prominent  citizens.  The 
trip  to  Greensboro  started  auspiciously,  but  was  saddened  just  as  the 
train  left  Durham  by  the  death  of  Doctor  Charles  D.  Mclver,  the  leading 
educator  and  most  useful  citizen  of  North  Carolina.  The  death  of  Doctor 
Mclver  came  as  a  great  shock,  and  it  spread  the  shadow  of  a  great  sorrow 
over  every  person  on  the  train.  On  account  of  the  sad  and  untimely  end 
of  his  friend  and  traveling  companion  Mr.  Bryan  declined  to  speak  at 
Hillsboro.    At  Burlington  he  said: 

"  *I  am  sure  that  you  will  agree  with  us  that  this  is  not  the  time  or 
occasion  for  a  political  speech.  Doctor  Charles  D.  Mclver  was  the  man 
who  first  invited  me  to  North  Carolina  twelve  years  ago,  and  I  have  never 
been  in  your  State  since  that  he  was  not  on  the  reception  committee  and 
the  first  to  greet  and  cheer  me.  His  life,  perhaps,  more  than  that  of  any 
man  I  knew  as  well,  illustrated  the  value  of  an  ideal.  He  was  an  educated 
man  whose  sympathies  were  with  the  uneducated.  He  moved  in  the 
highest  circles,  yet  snapped  the  golden  cord,  unselfishly  lifting  others  up. 
His  death  is  a  loss — a  fearful  loss — to  his  country,  his  State,  his  city  of 
Greensboro,  to  the  glorious  institution  of  learning  which  is  now  his 
monument,  to  his  family,  to  his  party  and  a  great  personal  loss  to  me.' " 

From  Daily  Industrial  News: 

"  'Charles  D.  Mclver  is  dead* — as  a  pall  this  sentence  fell  upon  Greens- 
boro yesterday  afternoon.  And  not  to  Greensboro  alone,  but  to  the  entire 
State  is  the  loss — not  alone  to  the  State,  but  to  the  entire  educational 
world.  For  Doctor  Mclver  had  made  for  himself  a  place  in  his  chosen 
field  of  work  that  cannot  be  filled.  To  the  education  of  the  South,  espe- 
cially the  women  of  the  South,  he  had  devoted  his  life.     .    .    . 

"Through  his  work  will  he  live  in  the  history  of  North  Carolina,  but 
even  aside  from  his  work  he  will  not  be  forgotten  by  the  multitude  who 
called  him  friend.  He  is  gone  with  much  already  accomplished,  and  yet 
with  apparently  much  still  before  him.  In  the  prime  of  manhood  he  was 
suddenly  stricken  and  taken  from  the  field  of  useful  endeavor — dead 
but  not  forgotten.  Yes,  gone  in  the  body  and  gone  from  the  sight  of 
mortal  eyes,  and  yet  not  wholly  gone,  for  never  will  his  memory  fade 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  227 

from  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  who  love  humanity  and  love  those  who 
loved  humanity,  and  of  such  in  the  fullest  measure  was  Charles  Duncan 
Mclver." 

From  The  Daily  Record: 

"This  entire  community  was  shocked  beyond  expression  by  the  sad  in- 
telligence of  the  sudden  death  of  Doctor  Charles  Duncan  Mclver.  Not  only 
has  Greensboro  and  the  State,  but  the  nation  as  well,  sustained  a  severe 
loss.  Men — great  men — die  every  day,  but  their  places  are  soon  filled 
and  they  are  almost  forgotten,  but  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  to 
fill  his  place  will  be  a  task  of  difficult  proportions.  He  was  a  lovable  man. 
Every  one  of  the  thousands  of  young  women  who  attended  the  Normal 
loved  him;  he  made  their  lives  pleasant;  his  great  aim  was  to  make  the 
poorest  girl,  the  friendless  girl,  feel  that  she  was  at  home;  that  poverty 
was  an  honor  if  honorably  worn. 

From  The  Greensboro  Telegram: 

"It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  Greensboro  was  panic  stricken 
yesterday  afternoon  when  the  news  went  from  lip  to  lip  that  Doctor  Mclver 
was  dead. 

"It  is  quite  impossible  to  fully  realize  all  that  the  death  of  such  a  man 
means  to  the  community,  to  the  State,  and  to  the  nation. 

"The  debt  that  the  womanhood  of  the  State  owes  him  can  never  be  paid. 
To  him  is  to  be  traced  in  the  last  analysis  all  the  influences  which  have 
flown  from  the  Normal  College  for  the  uplift  of  North  Carolina  women, 
for  he  was  the  Normal  College  in  the  sense  that  it  was  his  cireation. 
He  it  was  who  both  planned  and  executed,  overcoming  seemingly  insuper- 
able obstacles  by  his  titanic  energy  and  determination.  From  first  to  last 
the  institution  bore  the  impress  of  his  powerful  personality,  and  his  in- 
fluence will  ever  be  felt  in  its  future  history. 

From  The  Charlotte  Observer: 

"The  news  of  the  death  of  Doctor  Charles  D.  Mclver  will  carry  a  shock 
from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the  other.  Upon  the  subject  of  education  he 
was  an  enthusiast;  an  always  rational,  intelligent  enthusiast.  No  man  in 
our  history  has  done  more  to  forward  it.  His  own  institution,  the  in- 
stitution which,  one  will  say,  was  born  to  him,  which  he  nursed  and 
fostered,  was  the  object  of  his  special  and  natural  affection,  but  in  the 
whole  field  he  was  a  champion,  an  advocate,  and  in  his  death  the  cause 
has  lost  a  stalwart  friend.  It  will  be  difficult  to  fill  the  vacancy  which 
his  death  has  created.  It  was  a  proper  tribute  paid  him  at  Greensboro 
last  evening  that  there  was  no  political  address,  but  that  the  meeting  was 
made  one  of  memorial." 


228  NORTH  CAROLINA 

From  Bryan's  eulogy  on  Doctor  Mclver,  delivered  in  Greens- 
boro, on  Monday  night,  September  17th: 

".  .  .  Professor  Mclver  has  shown  us  what  man  can  do.  He  has 
not  only  shown  us,  but  did  what  man  ought  to  do.  He  has  given  us  an  ideal 
of  life,  and  I  am  coming  more  and  more  to  believe  that  the  ideal  is  the 
important  thing.     .     .     . 

"I  believe  that  Professor  Mclver's  life  was  a  success.  We  have  a 
great  man,  Rockefeller — the  richest  man  in  the  world — and  if  I  had  to 
choose  between  leaving  the  record  of  Professor  Mclver  and  leaving  the 
money  of  Rockefeller,  I  would  a  thousand  times  rather  leave  Mclver' s 
record  to  posterity.  I  will  tell  you  a  test  of  whether  life  has  been  a 
success  or  not  We  all  live  amid  an  environment.  Sometimes  we  are 
only  known  to  a  little  circle,  sometimes  to  a  larger  circle;  but  when  we 
die  there  is  going  to  be  a  just  verdict,  and  that  just  and  honest  verdict 
is  the  thing  that  we  ourselves,  when  we  come  to  take  a  proper  view  of 
life,  will  be  more  interested  in  than  the  houses  and  lands  that  we  leave 
for  our  children  to  quarrel  over,  and  I  have  thought  that  it  can  be  said 
that  a  life  has  been  lived  successfully  if,  when  it  passes  out,  we  can  say 
of  the  person,  as  we  can  say  of  this  dear  friend  of  mine  and  of  yours: 

"  *The  night  is  darker  because  his  light  is  gone  out : 
The  world  is  not  so  warm  because  his  heart  is  cold  in  death.* " 

From  the  Raleigh  News  and  Observer: 

"Charles  D.  Mclver  was  the  best  type  of  Southern  manhood.  His  faith 
was  profound,  his  courage  unconquerable,  and  his  capacity  for  labor 
apparently  a  thing  that  had  no  limit  when  the  interests  which  he  held 
dear  were  concerned.  He  was  of  massive  brain  and  electric  personality. 
Easily  of  national  size,  he  preferred  to  stay  in  North  Carolina  and  devote 
his  genius  to  her  educational  advancement. 

"The  profession  that  he  adopted  made  Doctor  Mclver  an  educational 
statesman,  but  he  was  more  than  that.  He  was  a  patriot  and  a  statesman 
in  the  broad  sense. 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  name  any  movement^ducational,  industrial, 
religious  or  political — that  was  making  for  the  betterment  of  the  State 
that  did  not  feel  the  helpful  touch  of  Charles  D.  Mclver.  He  was  an 
optimist  of  the  best  type,  and  went  about  making  others  have  faith  in 
themselves  and  inspiring  them  with  patriotism  and  civic  virtue  and  public 
spirit.  Other  men  will  be  found  who  will  carry  on  the  college  and 
direct  the  public  educational  work,  but  his  spirit  of  faith  and  hope  and 
cheer  will  be  missed  in  an  hundred  ways,  and  it  was  the  thing  that  made 
him  easily  the  most  useful  man  in  North  Carolina  and  the  best  loved 
private  citizen. 


CHARLES  DUNCAN  McIVER  229 

Albert  Shaw  in  the  October,  1906,  Reznew  of  Reviews: 
'*  .  .  .  Doctor  Mclver  was  not  quite  forty-six  years  old;  but  his 
influence  was  already  great,  and  his  achievement  was  of  the  sort  that  saves- 
imperiled  civilizations  and  transforms  communities.  .  .  .  He  was  a 
man  of  remarkable  eloquence,  and  of  great  readiness  and  power  on  all  oc- 
casions in  public  speech.  He  was  famous  for  his  wit,  and  for  his  un- 
limited store  of  amusing  incidents  and  anecdotes.  .  .  .  If  he  had  chosen 
to  turn  his  energies  into  political  channels  he  would  have  been  Governor 
of  his  State  and  then  United  States  Senator." 

Walter  H.  Page  in  the  October,  1906,  South  Atlantic  Quarterly: 

"...  I  suppose  that  he  was  regarded  as  a  close  personal  friend 
by  more  men  and  women,  and  he  had  the  intimate  confidence  of  more  men 
and  women  than  any  other  man  in  North  Carolina.  .  .  .  Twice  he 
had  a  chance  possibly  to  become  President  of  the  State  University,  but 
he  considered  his  work  in  building  a  college  for  women  of  greater  im- 
portance. He  might  at  any  time  during  the  last  six  or  eight  years  have 
received  an  income  that  would  have  relieved  him  of  all  financial  care  and 
provided  luxuriously  for  his  family  if  he  had  given  his  time  to  business 
undertakings.  But  the  building  and  the  development  of  a  great  college 
for  the  training  of  women  (and  by  the  training  of  women,  the  lifting  up 
of  the  whole  people)  was  dearer  to  him  than  all  other  aims  in  life ;  and  he 
never  hesitated." 

Extract  from  Governor's  Proclamation: 

Governor  R.  B.  Glenn  issued  the  following  proclamation  to  the  people 
of  North  Carolina  at  the  request  of  a  number  of  prominent  citizens: 

"The  lifework  of  Charles  D.  Mclver  is  ended.  For  twenty-five  years  he 
served  his  State  with  fidelity,  zeal  and  efficiency  not  surpassed  in  her 
annals.  No  one  has  rendered  the  State  a  greater  service.  It  is  now  the 
high  duty  and  privilege  of  the  people  whom  he  served  with  unselfish 
devotion  to  manifest  their  grateful  appreciation  of  his  life  and  character 
by  a  memorial  which  will  transmit  his  memory  to  posterity  and  be  a  per- 
petual incentive  to  the  youth  of  the  State  to  emulate  his  example.  An 
heroic  statue  in  bronze,  designed  and  cast  by  a  great  artist,  has  been  selected 
by  general  consent  as  a  most  fitting  memorial.  Charles  D.  Mclver's  en- 
tire life  was  given  for  the  better  education  of  all  our  women,  the  improve- 
ment of  the  educational  opportunities  of  all  our  children,  the  uplifting 
of  all  our  citizenship  and  the  elevation  of  all  our  ideals  of  civic  service." 

William  C.  Smith. 


JOHN  McMillan  McIver 


;  lOGRAPHICAL  sketches  of  representatives  of 
the  highest  character,  wisest  methods,  noblest 
achievements,  in  a  word,  the  loftiest  ideas,  are 
precious  legacies  of  the  ages.  Distinguished 
services  and  how  they  were  rendered,  unques^ 
tionable  success  and  by  what  means  attained, 
an  honorable  and  widely  useful  career  despite  inconspicuous  sta- 
tion and  how  achieved,  make  up  a  worthy  and  fascinating  story 
for  the  living,  as  well  as  for  transmission  to  succeeding  genera- 
tions. Among  that  noble  class  who  are  at  once  successful  and 
widely  influential  in  a  life  spent  in  the  shades  of  retirement  remote 
from  the  gaze  of  the  public,  no  man  in  our  time  in  North  Carolina 
is  a  more  illustrious  representative  than  John  McMillan  McIver, 
of  Gulf. 

The  life  of  every  man,  no  less  than  that  of  every  plant  and 
animal,  is  the  product  of  the  combined  influence  of  heredity  and 
circumstances.  Inherited  tendencies,  unconscious  impression  from 
men  and  things,  are  so  many  tuitional  influences,  or  "schools  and 
schoolmasters,"  that  determine  measurably  the  character  and  life 
of  us  all.  The  plastic  mind  of  childhood,  inconceivably  more 
plastic  than  the  body,  can  never  throw  off  impressions  then  re- 
ceived. We  may  all  say,  "I  am  a  part  of  all  that  I  have  met,  es- 
pecially that  which  I  have  met  in  childhood." 

The  historical  outline  of  no  man's  life  can  be  written  without 


/^C^,n>^w 


/ 


t^'^T^/l^ 


'     -   «:>lx^  (»f  rcprt\-eiitativ(  ^  of 

:  '    .i'.*' ilt,  \\i-'-^t  nictl^.ous,    n'-^bV'^: 

'   .  ;;!    1  \V'  r-l,  Vac  loltie.-t  i.k•a^.  are 

^<  ■  H  ^   m:   ti...  air'.'S.      Distiir^ui.^lrd 

'1  ;:     •.    t'     \    \\(T0  rc'ii<l<  ro<l,  in'«|;:<s- 

'■> -^  ^  -    .•:  •'    !y   v.hat   nir'iiis  aitaire-.l, 

:   '•    "."'T   (!(    ;;iic   itlC^i-sj  .icil"  .US   sta- 

i.;    J   '.^  •  :il:y  and  fa^cin.iliiii^  st  n'v 

*:    •  -•1v-^i..n  to  s\icr«'( /uptr  pci^'.-ra- 

•--   '.'.h)  ;:ic  at  oticc  succr>^*'iil  :;nil 

'■  !Ti  Ow  s!.a(U-s  of  ro^irctnont  r<. n:*'te 

i' >  n..i  1    n  oi:r  tiiiic  in  Xortli  ("^aroiini 

.i.itlxs    il:an  Jolm  }vIc]^.Mlan  M elver. 


•.  .   .  no  li  ss  tlrin  tl.at  oi  every  \A:u\t  aii'l 

:  (•''  tii<^  v'"ii.:)'  Kij  intluenee  of  hcrclily  and 

•?!   It.  n-Icnv'!'.    .  nncon^cir,r,s  ii  T])re>sion  from 

vi^-  ?i::^:.  ..^.al  inllnences,  or  *'scIh,m»1s  aiid 

-'iiiii'v  T^iea^nMbly  the  eharactcr  and  life 

•  ;*   niin'i   »  f   childhood,   inconoei va])ly   mca'c 

ran  novcr  t]M(.»\v  off  imj^ressions  tlien  rc- 

-  ly,  "1  am  a  part  (^f  all  tliat  I  have  met,  e.->- 

'Mve  met  in  chiMhood." 

'   tj  of  no  man's  life  can  be  written  withcnt 


W^t-->V 


j:^  u^:^  Ut}:^^;^^^ 


JOHN  McMillan  McIVEr  231 

relating  the  race  from  which  he  sprang,  the  place  where  he  was 
reared,  the  institutions,  the  social  customs  and  educational  forces 
which  molded  his  character  and  thus  singled  him  out  from  his 
species,  individualizing  him  for  all  time.  The  task  is  a  pleasant 
one.  History  loves  to  trace  the  lineage  of  those  whose  lives  rise 
above  mediocrity  and  shine  with  deeds  of  high  morality  and  beauti- 
ful unselfishness.  If  the  blood  that  courses  through  the  veins 
bears  upon  its  tide  the  virtues  by  which  it  was  first  distinguished, 
then  there  is  a  prestige  of  birth  that  may  prompt  generations  in 
their  turn — 

"To  draw  forth  a  noble  ancestry 

From  the  corruption  of  abusing  time, 

Unto  a  lineal,  true-derived  course." 

Still  the  glory  of  embellishing  a  name,  of  adding  to  its  luster,  is 
superior  to  that  of  first  drawing  it  from  the  ages  agone. 

John  McMillan  Mclver  was  born  on  November  6,  1838,  near, 
Carbonton,  in  Moore  County,  hard  by  the  line  of  Chatham,  on  the 
hills  of  the  historic  Clarendon,  now  Deep  River,  and  within  the 
bounds  of  old  Euphronia  Presbyterian  Church. 

His  great-grandfather,  Donald  Mclver,  was  one  of  the  three 
brothers  who  emigrated  from  Scotland  in  1772.  Two  of  these 
brothers  settled  in  North  Carolina  and  one  in  South  Carolina. 
From  this  trio  have  descended  nearly  all  of  the  sturdy  folk  who 
bear  the  name  in  both  States. 

The  name  of  his  father  was  Alexander  Mclver,  a  farmer,  a 
loyal  Presbyterian  and  an  elder  in  Euphronia  Church.  His  mother 
was  Miss  Ann  Gordon,  daughter  of  Mr.  Langston  Gordon,  of 
Virginia,  an  Englishman. 

The  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  from  birth  has  been  typ- 
ically North  Carolinian,  modified  by  traits  of  parentage  through 
his  rugged  paternal  ancestry.  There  were  but  few  environments 
better  calculated  to  form  character  than  those  found  in  the  atmos- 
phere among  the  hills  of  his  birthplace  where  the  parish  schools, 
hard  by  the  kirk  in  the  fatherland,  had  been  transplanted  and  re- 
ligiously fostered.  He  was  born  into  that  way  of  life  which  might 
be  called  in  other  lands  the  middle  class,  but  happily  in  our  coun- 


232  NORTH  CAROLINA 

try  character  and  capacity  make  their  own  level.  He  was  neither 
of  the  richest  nor  of  the  poorest,  neither  proud  nor  humble;  he 
knew  no  hunger  he  was  not  sure  of  satisfying,  no  luxury  which 
cotild  enervate  mind  or  body.  His  parents  were  sober.  God-fear- 
ing people ;  intelligent  and  upright ;  without  pretension  and  with- 
out self-effacing.  He  grew  up  in  the  ccxnpany  of  boys  who  worked 
on  the  farm  like  himself — ^wholesome,  honest,  self-respecting. 
They  looked  down  on  nobody,  they  never  felt  it  possible  they  could 
be  looked  down  upon.  Their  houses  were  the  homes  of  probity, 
piety,  patriotism.  They  learned  from  the  inspiring  traditions  of 
their  fathers,  and  at  the  feet  of  teachers  of  soimd  Qiristianity 
and  ennobling  patriotism,  the  lessons  of  heroic  and  splendid  life 
which  came  down  from  the  past 

His  father  died  when  he  was  only  one  year  old.  The  loss  was 
great;  but  his  mother  proved  a  wise  and  capable  counsellor,  and 
her  care  and  training  molded  him  into  manly  excellence.  His 
earliest  recollection  of  his  mother  was  seeing  her  kneeling  in 
prayer  with  her  three  little  children  around  her.  A  comfortable 
patrimony  fell  to  him  from  his  father's  estate.  In  early  life  he  had 
a  strong  desire  for  an  education.  The  impulse  was  natural  to  one 
of  such  ancestrj'  and  living  in  such  surroundings.  The  first  con- 
fession of  faith  adopted  by  the  church  of  his  progenitors,  about 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  years  before,  contained  a  provision 
for  the  planting  of  a  school  in  every  parish.  Coming  as  did  his 
forefathers  and  others,  so  to  speak,  from  the  feet  of  John  Knox, 
the  greatest  of  Scotchmen  and  the  most  illustrious  pupil  of 
John  CalNnn,  they  became  founders  and  patrons  of  academic 
schools,  which,  without  cabinets,  laboratories  and  other  parts  of 
a  college  equipment,  educated  many  young  men  for  the  gospel 
ministr>',  the  bar  and  other  learned  professions.  The  influence  of 
these  early  and  useful  schools  had  not  died  out  as  an  inspiration 
to  the  young  of  that  day.  By  both  inheritance  and  environment 
there  came  therefore  to  him  an  overmastering  and  enthusiastic 
impulse  for  an  education. 

Preparation  to  matriculate  at  the  University-  was  obtained  under 
that  celebrated  teacher.  Doctor  Alexander  Wilson,  at  Melville 


JOHN  McMillan  McIVEr  233 

Academy  in  Alamance  County.  In  1858,  in  his  twentieth  year^ 
he  was  admitted  to  the  classes  of  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina. In  1861,  when  the  war  between  the  States  began,  he  left 
the  University  promptly  to  enter  the  army.  An  attack  of  sickness 
frustrated  his  plans  and  he  returned  to  the  University  and  grad- 
uated in  1862,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  On  leav- 
ing the  halls  of  the  University  he  enlisted  immediately  as  a  soldier 
in  a  cavalry  company,  made  up  mostly  of  descendants  of  Scotch 
Highlanders,  with  Reverend  James  H.  McNeil  as  commandant. 
The  field  of  service  for  his  command  was  in  Eastern  North  Caro- 
lina until  the  opening  of  the  famous  Gettysburg  campaign  in  1863, 
when  as  the  Sixty-third  North  Carolina  Regiment  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia.  Surviving  the  hard- 
ships and  many  bloody  battles  of  this  great  army,  he  surrendered 
with  it  at  Appomattox  Court-House  in  1865,  having  made  a 
splendid  record  as  a  brave  and  conscientious  soldier,  whether  in 
camp,  bivouac  or  battle. 

The  active  work  of  his  life  as  a  civilian  was  begun  as  a  school- 
teacher. In  1865  he  taught  at  Buffalo  Church  in  Moore  Coimty, 
and  afterward  in  Bladen  County,  and  at  Waynesville  in  Haywood 
County.  In  each  of  these  communities  his  influence  was  forceful 
and  far-reaching.  The  hearts  as  well  as  the  heads  of  his  pupils 
were  impressed  with  his  Christian  life  and  nice  scholarship.  Some 
of  his  pupils  became  eminent  as  officers  of  the  State,  and  many 
bear  testimony  to-day  most  gratefully  to  his  uplifting  and  lasting 
work  upon  their  minds  arid  their  character.  In  1870  he  became 
engaged  in  business  at  Gulf  and  established  his  home  there. 
Mr.  Mclver  has  six  children :  three,  the  children  of  a  former  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Mattie  Lee  Morrison,  of  Asheville,  and  three,  the 
children  of  his  present  marriage  to  Miss  Lois  Anderson,  of 
Davidson. 

His  career  as  a  worker  in  the  church  has  been  marked  by  ex- 
ceptionally distinguished  services ;  and  to  few  men  have  so  many 
and  such  high  honors  fallen.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  his 
church  at  Gulf  and  was  elected  its  first  elder.  During  the  years 
of  its  earlier  historv  he  alone  constituted  its  session.    He  is  the 


234  NORTH  CAROLINA 

•only  clerk  its  session  has  ever  had,  and  the  only  superintendent 
of  its  Sunday-school.  As  the  representative  of  his  church  he  has 
attended  with  notable  frequency  the  meetings  of  his  Presbytery, 
and  is  one  of  the  four  ruling  elders  it  has  so  far  elected  to  preside 
over  its  deliberations  as  moderator.  Twice  he  has  been  elected 
Commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly,  the  highest  court  in  the 
polity  of  the  church.  He  has  been  called  often  to  serve  on  the  most 
important  committees.  He  filled  with  great  credit  the  chairman- 
ship of  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  Elders'  and  Deacons'  In- 
stitute, and  is  now  one  of  the  two  ruling  elders  on  the  Synodical 
Committee  in  charge  of  the  Twentieth  Century  Million  Dollar 
Educational  Fund. 

His  career  as  a  business  man  has  been  no  less  successful.  He 
was  never  a  speculator  in  the  commonly  accepted  meaning  of  that 
word.  One  of  the  most  pronounced  characteristics  of  his  work 
in  the  business  sphere  has  been  conservative.  He  has  accumulated 
a  fine  estate.  Yet  it  has  been  done  by  the  application  of  the  reg- 
ular and  well-known  and  universally  approved  business  methods 
of  the  world.  His  system,  frugality,  sagacit>%  industry,  concurred 
to  make  his  work  as  gainful  as  possible,  bating  the  possible  out- 
come of  speculative  ventures.  He  is  a  large  and  successful  farmer, 
and  a  merchant  with  a  fine  volume  of  business.  He  was  a  pioneer 
in  the  roller  milling  business.  As  a  manufacturer  of  flour  he  is 
widely  known  and  popular.  He  has  been  one  of  those  active  men 
who  have  contributed  so  much  to  placing  North  Carolina  on  the 
career  of  prosperity  that  marks  this  period  as  the  most  interesting, 
industrially,  in  her  histor\\  He  is  interested  as  a  director  and 
stockholder  in  the  bank  of  Fayetteville,  a  stockholder,  director  and 
\'ice-President  of  the  Sanford  Cotton  Mills,  a  stockholder  in  the 
Columbia  Manufacturing  Company  at  Ramseur,  North  Carolina, 
and  the  Elmira  Cotton  Mills  in  Burlington,  North  Carolina. 

Tracing  the  service  and  success  that  have  made  up  so  much  of 
his  life  back  to  the  principles  and  methods  which  led  on  to  them 
is  a  task  as  interesting  as  it  is  instructive.  He  built  upon  sure 
foundations.  A  conscientious  desire  to  do  his  duty  to  his  fellow- 
men,  to  himself  and  to  his  God  have  been  prominent  and  conspicu- 


JOHN  McMillan  Mciver  235 

ous  without  ostentation.  Three  subjects  for  practice  in  composi- 
tion assigned  to  him  when  he  was  a  student  at  Melville  Academy 
by  Doctor  Alexander  Wilson  (Festina  lente,  make  haste  slowly; 
Obsta  Principiis,  oppose  the  beginnings ;  Esse  Quam  Videri,  to  be 
rather  than  to  appear  to  be)  made,  he  says,  a  deep  impression  on 
him  and  has  had  much  to  do  in  shaping  both  his  religious  and 
business  life.  It  has  been  a  deep  conviction  with  him  that  the 
cost  of  success  was  doing  his  best.  His  confidential  legal  adviser 
says  of  him,  "He  is  one  man  who  never  forgets  his  God  in  his 
business."  In  cases  actually  occurring  he  has  always  readily  re- 
nounced the  employment  of  legal  advantages  with  gain,  and  chosen 
instead  an  equitable  procedure  with  loss. 

The  following  word  picture  portrays  in  some  measure  the  make 
up  of  the  man :  One  who  lives  largely  not  for  himself  but  for 
others;  and  whose  pleasure  and  happiness  consists  to  an  excep- 
tional degree  in  contributing  to  the  happiness  of  others.  A  man 
of  singularly  sweet  and  amiable  disposition  and  retiring  in  his 
habits,  and  yet,  surprisingly,  a  successful  business  man  even  in 
this  day  of  strenuous  life  and  activity.  One  who  can  be  depended 
upon  at  all  times  and  never  be  found  wanting.  Of  martyr  spirit  to 
suflfer  at  the  stake  for  conscience'  sake,  and  for  what  he  believes 
to  be  right.  Ever  ready  to  aid  liberally  in  any  and  every  move- 
ment in  church  or  State  for  the  good  of  his  fellows. 

A  Democrat  and  interested  in  politics  and  influential,  yet  in- 
tensely averse  to  office  holding;  a  Presbyterian  in  religion,  with 
the  most  cordial  regard  for  his  fellows  of  other  creeds ;  an  active 
man  in  the  conduct  of  large  and  varied  business  interests,  yet  liv- 
ing always  unobtrusively  and  retiringly  he  has  won  distinguished 
success  in  business,  and  wielded  a  silent  but  powerful  influence  for 
good  in  business,  social  and  religious  life. 

In  a  home  notable  for  its  atmosphere  of  culture  and  refinement, 
he  is  spending  his  days  as  a  representative  of  the  highest  ideal 
of  a  Christian  gentleman  and  successful  man  of  business  in  the  life 
of  North  Carolina  as  seen  to-day. 

P.  R.  Law. 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM 


ORTH  CAROLINA  has  produced  three  men 
who  have  attained  the  Presidency.  Jackson, 
Polk  and  Johnson  were  all  her  sons;  but  the 
avenue  of  promotion  lay  through  Tennessee. 
The  balance  of  power  has  long  since  crossed 
the  Alleghanies  and  is  now  crossing  the 
Mississippi.  It  long  ago  proved  that  geographical  location  is  the 
predominant  factor  in  the  making  of  Presidents  and  not  inherent 
ability,  and  so  confirms  Mr.  Bryce's  thesis  that  we  do  not  elect 
our  greatest  men  to  that  office.  It  is  to  the  doubtful  States  that 
parties  go  for  candidates;  to  the  centers  of  wealth  and  popula- 
tion. The  rural  community  is  no  longer  a  factor  in  making  nomina- 
tions. Then,  too,  during  the  period  of  Mangum's  active  career 
North  Carolina  was  almost  as  solidly  Whig  as  it  is  now  Demo- 
cratic. The  change  came  in  the  fifties,  just  as  he  was  retiring  from 
public  life,  and  as  a  result  the  Whigs  found  their  candidate  for 
Vice-President  in  1852  in  William  A.  Graham.  In  that  year  North 
Carolinian  was  pitted  against  North  Carolinian  for  the  second 
place  and  again  it  was  given  to  the  son  who  had  migrated  to  win 
the  prize.  Hence,  while  North  Carolina  produced  three  men  who 
filled  the  Presidency  and  one  the  Vice-Presidency,  none  were 
elected  to  those  offices  as  North  Carolinians.  But  the  State  can 
claim  for  herself  what  was  at  that  time  the  third,  and  after  the 
death  of  the  President  or  Vice-President  the  second,  office  in  rank 


y  y/  /-'^  r     r 


-j\    MAXCilM 


/  >i 


\ 


■   I  .  •    i'i  [••  -'>.  cr 


1  ':r^i<i'/Ti<^y.        1  u  1-  >   n, 

I-  ';ii   luT  sons  ;   I'M   i-io 

IN     uii\..i'^h  Tcinic.-sce. 

l.:i^    ]'»'il:'  since   ci'-^'^v^l 

is     IV.  \v     cfi'^^inp*     tiu. 

;ra]Miic.il  U)c;il:(»ii  i>  llie 

(  i'  I'ri  >Hl»'nis  itiid  ncil  i:ih<TLnl 

••   i;s   Mr.    r.rxco's   l:a>is  OkiI  w  c  do  iMt  clt^^'t 

•  ■  tV  :^  ..f:---';'.     It  i<  to  the  dr»'i1.1liil  Ir-iaics  ilu.l 

t-     ;   t)  r  r  centers  (•!  wcaidi  and  popula- 

.    1  '     ;  .  r.<.  I"VLtr  i  facior  in  malvini^  n   ••.ina- 

,  diirnii::  :l.c  ;<>':f.l  of  Maiii^nnrs  active  e.ir'.er 

vvas  aln.o^t  as  >.»'  •,::>■  \\  iii*^  as  it  is  no-.v  Dt-no- 

in.L^e  canic  in  IIm-  l.ftie.s.  jnst  a>  b.c  was  retiri'\i:^  fn.:n 

I  as  a  rf'>nlt  t;:c  \\  ini.'-^  f. 'Uiivl  tlieir  candidare  for 

.  m  T-'^Si^in  \\  dliaiii  A   ^  ra'naTn.    In  tl'.at  year  X'..rth 

•   T^'.-'    '   M  <iinsi   N'."'!'.   <  aroli^iian   for  tie  >ci  or..] 

'   -^  '.    .  !\en  to  ti'C  s<  n  who  hiad  nr.<4rat(.-d  ir,  win 

u    Xorth  C\'Uoh.na  p.^v"ii:c''l  thiree  iben  who 

1-.''    one   tlio   \'ice-rresidency,   n^Mie    were 

•  -is  Xorth  Car(»llnian.s.     Bui  tlie  State  c^n 

'   was  at  tint  time  the  third,  and  after  the 

r  \  ice-l'res'dent  tlie  secaul,  ofnce  in  rr-.t< 


^ 


'^<=::^^^g^^t 


^^^'f-^^^^^f^ . 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  237 

— ^the  Presidency  of  the  Senate.  A  President  pro  tempore  of  the 
Senate  is  chosen  by  its  members  in  each  Congress.  His  duties  are 
nominal  only,  but  upon  the  death  or  promotion  of  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent he  became,  before  a  recent  law  changed  the  order  of  succes- 
sion, the  heir  apparent  to  the  Presidency. 

It  follows  then  that  while  Willie  P.  Mangum  was  President  of 
the  Senate,  1842-45,  and  was  next  in  succession  after  Tyler  to  the 
Presidency,  he  filled  the  highest  post  under  this  Government  ever 
attained  by  a  North  Carolinian  as  such. 

Willie  Person  Mangum,  lawyer,  legislator,  judge.  Congress- 
man, United  States  Senator  and  President  pro  tempore  of  the 
United  States  Senate,  was  bom  in  Orange,  now  Durham,  County, 
North  Carolina,  May  10,  1792  (pot  December  29,  1 791,  as  is  some- 
times stated).  His  birthplace  was  near  but  not  at  the  site  of  his 
later  home,  the  present  Umbra  post  office,  known  to  the  family 
as  Walnut  Hall,  and  during  his  life  as  Red  Mountain  (not  near 
the  present  town  of  Durham,  as  is  also  said). 

The  Mangums  were  seated  in  Sussex  and  adjoining  sections  of 
Virginia  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and  seem  to  have  been 
caught  by  the  last  waves  of  the  great  stream  of  migration  that 
swept  over  the  southern  border  of  that  State  into  North  Carolina 
for  a  hundred  years.  Tradition  has  it  that  the  family  is  Welch 
in  origin  and  that  the  original  form  of  the  name  was  Manghamis ; 
we  know  that  the  Irish  branch  still  spells  the  name  Mangham.  It 
is  believed  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  descended  from  the 
Mangums,  who  about  1730  to  1750  were  located  in  Albemarle 
Parish,  Sussex  County,  Virginia.  There  were  three  heads  of  fam- 
ilies there  at  that  time  with  this  surname,  William,  James,  John — 
presumably  brothers.  William  Mangum  and  his  wife  Mary  had 
four  sons:  James,  bom  January  2,  1734;  William,  bom  May  16, 
1736;  Henry,  born  January  24,  1773  {sic,  error  for  1737-38?); 
Arthur,  born  May  2,  1743.  James  Mangum,  the  elder,  had  two 
sons,  William  and  James,  and  a  daughter,  Lucy;  John  had  a 
daughter,  Rebeckah  (Va.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  July,  1894, 
p.  108). 

We  are  not  certain  as  to  the  exact  time  that  Arthur  Mangum, 


238  NORTH  CAROLINA 

grandfather  of  Willie  P.  Mangum,  and  believed  to  be  identical 
with  the  one  named  above,  came  into  North  Carolina ;  but  he  seems 
to  have  come  by  way  of  Warren  County,  and  perhaps  stopped  in 
Granville,  for  there  was  a  Mangum  family  in  that  county  as  early 
as  1757.  That  an  Arthur  Mangum  was  in  North  Carolina  in 
1763  we  learn  from  a  manuscript  note  made  by  Thomas  Person: 
'*  Bought  of  Arthur  Mangum  i  Barrel  com  @  9/6  Cash  he  Dr. 
to  2/6  for  Writeing  his  Deed  to  Orange  Co.  next  in  May,  Tuesday, 
6  Apr."  (1763.)  And  again:  "Paid  Jos.  Langston  to  be  given 
to  Arthur  Mangum  on  acct.  of  a  Barrel  of  Corn  10/.  Cash 
26  Ap." 

The  first  land  entries  by  Arthur  Mangum,  the  grandfather 
of  Judge  Mangum,  so  far  as  Orange  County  records  seem  to  show, 
date  from  1760.  Some  of  the  lands  taken  up  by  him  during 
the  next  few  years  remained  in  the  family  till  February,  1902. 
Arthur  Mangum  married  Lucy  Person.  She  was  a  niece  of 
Colonel  William  Person,  of  Granville  (1700-78)  and  as  such  a 
cousin  of  General  Thomas  Person.  I  have  not  found  the  name 
of  her  father.  She  was  probably  the  daughter  of  that  Mary  Person 
whose  will  was  probated  in  Granville  County  Court  August  11, 
1761.  Arthur  Mangum  died  between  March  12  and  24,  1789;  his 
wife  remained  a  widow  for  forty  years  and  died  about  1829,  aged 
about  ninety-two.    They  had  children  as  follows,  order  uncertain : 

( 1 )  William  Person  Mangum,  father  of  Willie  Person  Mangum ; 

(2)  Arthur,  who  married  Dicey  Carrington,  daughter  of  John  Car- 
rington;  he  died  about  1813,  aged  about  forty,  and  left  "a  house 
full"  of  children,  who  migrated  to  Georgia,  Mississippi  and  Miss- 
ouri; (3)  Willie,  who  was  very  handsome  and  a  merchant,  died 
young  and  unmarried ;  (4)  Sally  married  Sion  Bobbitt  and  went  to 
Tennessee;  (5)  Holly,  who  married  Cozart;  one  of  her  sons, 
William,  was  a  large  merchant  in  Columbus,  Mississippi ;  another, 
Herbert,  was  a  merchant  in  Georgia ;  another,  James,  was  a  planter 

in  Granville;   (6)  Chaney  married  Mangum,  and  was  the 

mother  of  Colonel  Ellison  Mangum  and  grandmother  of  Captain 
Addison  Mangum  and  of  Professor  A.  W.  Mangum;  (7)  Clary 
(or  Qara)  married  David  Parker,  a  farmer  of  Granville;  Colonel 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  239 

Abner  Parker,  merchant;  Harrison  Parker,  planter;  and  David 
Parker,  later  of  Edgecombe,  were  their  sons.  She  left  also  a 
daughter,  who  married  William  Horner,  father  of  James  H.  and 
Thomas  J.  Horner,  the  distinguished  teachers. 

William  Person  Mangum,  who  is  thought  to  have  been  the  old- 
est child  of  Arthur  Mangum,  was  born  about  1762.  He  married 
Catharine  (Kate)  Davis,  who  was  bom  on  the  Schuylkill  River 
in  Pennsylvania.  Her  father  migrated  to  Orange  County,  North 
Carolina,  when  she  was  about  four  years  old  and  there  he  died, 
William  Person  Mangum  was  a  farmer  and  merchant  and  spent  all 
his  life  in  Orange,  where  he  died  in  1837,  aged  seventy-five.  His 
wife  had  died  in  March,  1825.  This  couple  had  only  three  sons: 
Willie  Person,  the  oldest  and  subject  of  this  sketch;  (2) 
Priestley  Hinton,  noticed  in  the  sketch  of  his  son,  W.  P.  Mangum, 
Jr.;  (3)  Walter  Alvis,  bom  in  Orange  County,  January  28,  1798; 
married  Miss  Eliza  P.  Bullock,  daughter  of  Doctor  Benjamin  Bul- 
lock, of  Granville ;  removed  to  Mississippi  in  1832  and  became  a 
planter;  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1856  and  in  1863  to  Texas  as  a 
refugee ;  after  the  war  returned  to  Louisiana  and  died  there  Janu- 
ary 20,  1868.  He  left  a  large  family,  some  of  whom  have  at- 
tained distinction;  numerous  descendants  are  still  living  in 
Texas. 

It  would  seem  that  Willie  Person  Mangum  came  to  his  feeling 
for  statecraft  from  his  grandmother's  family,  and  that  the  political 
mantel  of  his  distinguished  relative,  Thomas  Person,  rested  on  his 
shoulders,  for  his  father's  family  were  merchants  and  planters  and 
had  not  been  before  his  day  in  public  life.  He  received  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  part  at  the  hands  of  Thomas  M.  Flint,  a 
strolling  pedagogue;  in  part  at  the  Fayetteville  Academy  under 
Reverend  Colin  Mclver,  and  in  part  in  the  Raleigh  Academy  under 
Reverend  Doctor  McPheeters.  He  spent  some  time  also  as  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store  and  was  graduated  at  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  in  181 5. 

He  began  to  study  law  with  Honorable  Duncan  Cameron ;  acted 
as  tutor  to  his  son,  the  late  Honorable  Paul  C.  Cameron,  and  was 
licensed    to    practice    January    10,    1817.      It    is    evident    that 


240  NORTH  CAROLINA 

he  was  successful   from  the   start.     He   writes  to  his  brother 
April  26,  18 19: 

"I  have  made  a  good  deal  of  money  this  Spring,  say  upward  of  $1900 
in  actual  receipts  and  nearly  that  sum  in  good  bonds  and  accounts.  My 
prospects  in  the  practice  continue  to  grow  more  flattering. 

"You  know  that  I  have  made  a  considerable  purchase  in  Haywood.  I 
think  I  have  made  more  by  that  than  all  the  rest  of  the  labors  of  my 
life.  ...  In  one  case  of  Mrs.  Patty  Taylor,  I  have  secured  a  fee  at 
six  months  of  one  thousand  dollars  .  .  .  and  an  equal  share  with 
the  first  in  the  other  business  of  that  court  which  is  profitable." 

But  even  then  he  was  dreaming  dreams  of  political  preferment. 

"That  I  could  go  to  Congress  without  difficulty  I  entertain  no  doubt/* 
he  writes  in  the  same  letter.  "The  dangerous  diadem  has  flittered  before 
my  vision  and  ambition  frequently  lingers  with  delight  in  tracing  the  out- 
line of  the  delusion,  but  interest,  and  in  my  opinion  sound  judgment,  for- 
bid the  thought." 

But  even  then  he  was  in  politics.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  in  1818  and  1819  from  Orange  County; 
served  on  the  judiciary  and  education  committees;  strongly  ad- 
vocated the  organization  of  a  distinct  Supreme  Court  and  favored 
calling  a  Constitutional  Convention,  one  of  the  burning  questions 
of  that  day.  By  the  Legislature  of  1819  he  was  elected 
(December  22,  1819)  a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  and 
Equity  to  succeed  Judge  Toomer,  resigned.  There  is  a  story  that 
he  was  the  candidate  of  his  old.  instructor,  Judge  Cameron,  then  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate  from  Orange.  John  Stanly  had 
boasted  that  he  would  give  the  vacant  judgship  to  his  young  kins- 
man, George  E.  Badger.  Cameron's  first  candidate  was 
William  Norwood,  of  Hillsboro.  Finding  that  he  could  not  beat 
Stanly  with  Norwood,  young  Mangum  was  brought  out  and 
elected.  He  rode  one  of  the  eastern  circuits,  but  the  climate  did 
not  agree  with  him,  and  after  a  year  of  work  on  the  bench  he  re- 
signed, November,  1820,  and  returned  to  the  practice  of  law. 

In  1823  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  i8th  Congress 
(1823-25)  from  what  was  then  the  eighth  district,  composed  of 
Orange,  Person  and  Wake.    His  opponent  was  General  Daniel  L. 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  241 

Barringer,  a  resident  of  Raleigh.  The  election  was  held  in  August, 
1823,  for  until  1861  Congressional  elections  were  held  in  the  odd 
years  and  after  the  term  of  service  had  begun  in  March.  The 
candidates  fought  it  out  on  their  legislative  records  and  on  State 
issues.  The  main  questions  were  the  proposed  amendment  to  the 
Constitution  making  the  representation  of  the  two  sections  equal — 
the  old  fight  between  the  sections.  Mangum  favored  such  an 
amendment  and  Barringer  avoided  it;  he  also  favored  the  bill 
which  required  the  banks  to  pay  specie  for  their  notes  while  Bar- 
ringer voted  on  both  sides.  Mangum  received  2523  votes;  Bar- 
ringer, 1729. 

Mangum  went  to  Congress  as  a  Republican,  and  in  the  Presi- 
dential campaign  of  1824  was  a  strong  supporter  of  Crawford. 
He  writes  Seth  Jones,  of  Wake,  on  January  3,  1825  :  "I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  vote  for  Mr.  Crawford  as  long  as  he  has  the  remotest 
prospect  of  success."  The  North  Carolina  Assembly  had  nom- 
inated Crawford,  but  the  State  in  1824  cast  her  vote  for  Jackson. 
When  the  election  came  up  in  the  House  of  Representatives  Man- 
gum voted  for  Crawford  and  so  did  the  State,  as  a  whole,  for 
Adams  received  but  a  single  vote  and  Jackson  but  two.  The  fol- 
lowers of  Adams  called  themselves  national  Republicans.  They 
contended  for  the  largest  latitude  in  the  construction  of  the  Con- 
stitution, favored  internal  improvements  and  encouraged  immigra- 
tion, advocated  protection,  gave  fishing  bounties  and  passed  navi- 
gation acts.  This  was  the  "American  system"  and  its  advocates 
formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Whig  Party.  On  the  other  hand  North 
Carolina  in  general  favored  the  strict  construction  views  of  Craw- 
ford, Jackson  and  the  Jefferson  Party.  It  is  believed  that  Man- 
gum*s  vote  for  Crawford  instead  of  Jackson  made  him  unpopular 
at  home.  I  am  told  by  Major  William  A.  Graham,  who,  of  course, 
had  it  from  his  father,  that  strong  effort  was  necessary  to  defeat 
his  opponent  for  the  19th  Congress,  1825-27,  in  August, 
1825.  This  opponent  was  Josiah  Crudup,  a  skilful  and  versatile 
Baptist  preacher.  Mangum  is  credited  with  saying  that  Crudup 
was  the  most  formidable  candidate  he  ever  met  and  that  an  op- 
portune rain  which  prevented  Crudup  from  preaching  on  a  certain 


242  NORTH  CAROLINA 

occasion  was  all  that  saved  him.  He  won  by  a  bare  majority  of 
fifty-six  votes. 

During  these  two  terms  in  Congress  Mangum  served  on  the 
committee  on  commerce,  and  on  that  on  the  services  and  sacrifices 
of  LaFayette.  He  resigned  March  i8,  1826,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Daniel  L.  Barringer,  Democrat,  who  took  his  seat  December  4, 
1826. 

Mangum  was  on  August  18,  1826,  appointed  by  Governor  Bur- 
ton to  fill  an  unexpired  term  as  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
Law  and  Equity.  The  term  for  which  he  was  appointed  expired 
the  same  year  and  his  failure  of  re-election  by  the  Assembly  of 
that  year  called  out  expressions  of  regret  from  Nat  Macon  and 
others.  In  1828  he  was  an  elector  on  the  Jackson-Calhoun  Ticket, 
showing  that  he  had  not  as  yet  accepted  the  principles  of  Adams, 
whose  re-election  was  advocated  in  North  Carolina  by  Gaston 
and  others.  Jackson  electors  were  chosen  in  North  Carolina 
(November  13,  1828).  Mangum  was  again  chosen  without  op- 
position a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  (December  10,  1828),  to 
succeed  Ruffin.  He  served  in  this  capacity  through  1829  and 
into  the  Spring  of  1830  (later  than  April  3,  1830),  when  he  re- 
signed, presumably  to  enter  the  race  for  Senator. 

The  first  intimations  we  have  of  senatorial  aspirations  is  in 
a  letter  from  his  lifelong  friend,  Thomas  J.  Green,  who  writes 
him  May  24,  1828: 

"If  you  could  have  a  desire  to  return  to  the  Federal  city  in  a  higher  char- 
acter than  when  you  left  it,  go  to  our  next  Legislature  a  member.  A  word 
to  the  wise  is  sufficient." 

There  was  then  no  vacancy  in  the  Senate,  for  Macon  did  not 
resign  till  November  14,  1828,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  Green's 
letter  was  in  anticipation  of  such  an  event,  which  was  probably 
expected.  Mangum  withdrew,  however,  in  favor  of  Iredell,  who 
received  the  appointment,  as  is  seen  from  the  following  letter  of 
General  Edward  Ward,  dated  Raleigh,  November  30,  1830: 

"The  friends  of  Judge  Donnel  [sic  ]  are  very  desirous  to  know  from 
you  whether  you  are  to  be  a  candidate  at  the  present  session  of  the  Gen- 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  243 

eral  Assembly  for  a  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  next  Congress  of  the  United 
States. 

"They  are  by  no  means  disposed  to  jeopardize  the  interests  of  the  Re- 
publican Party,  by  starting,  or  having  two  candidates  of  the  same  party  to 
run,  when  in  all  probability  the  opposite  party  will  start  a  candidate  to 
defeat  their  object;  your  declining  to  run  two  years  ago,  when  the  Eastern 
Republicans  were  anxious  to  start  you,  was  the  cause  of  Judge  Donnel's 
being  brought  forward  at  the  last  session,  and  many  of  his  friends  are 
anxious  to  rim  him  again,  but  they  are,  however,  anxious  to  have  a  friendly 
understanding  with  you  upon  the  subject." 

Iredell  had  been  elected  to  fill  out  Macon's  term,  which  expired 
March  3,  1831.  In  1830  Mangum  was  a  candidate  for  the  full 
term,  as  were  also  Governor  Owen,  Judge  Donnell,  R.  D.  Spaight 
and  Governor  Stokes.  Mangum  was  thought  to  be  the  most  avail- 
able candidate  against  what  was  characterized  as  the  "Spaight 
faction,"  composed  of  R.  D.  Spaight,  Charles  Fisher,  R.  M. 
Saunders  and  Joseph  H.  Bryan  as  leaders,  followed  by  Stokes, 
Montgomery,  O'Brien,  Steadman,  Bynum  and  others.  It  was 
thought  that  Donnell  would  prevail  over  Owen  in  the  race  for 
Senator  and  that  Spaight  would  beat  him  for  Governor  (letter  of 
W.  M.  Sneed,  November  18,  1830). 

December  2,  1830,  Qiarles  L.  Hinton  writes  Mangum: 

"There  was  no  general  concert,  there  was  a  rebellion  on  the  part  of  the 
friends  of  Owen,  Donnel  [sic],  Fisher  and  Jesse  Spaight  with  a  hope  of 
bringing  each  on  the  turf.  .  .  .  Your  angry  feelings  toward  Governor 
Owen  I  know  can  never  be  allayed.  I  regret  the  occurrence.  If,  as  you 
say,  he  has  ever  been  your  enemy  he  has  deceived  me,  for  during  the  sum- 
mer he  frequently  expressed  his  preference  for  you  and  unwillingness  to 
be  in  your  way." 

The  fight  turned  more  and  more  on  the  defeat  of  Owen.  On 
December  3d  Romulus  M.  Saunders  gives  further  news  of  the 
battle : 

"Your  letter  directing  the  withdrawal  of  your  name  was  not  received 
until  Owen's  nomination  and  two  ballots,  having  you  tied  at  89.  Yesterday 
Owen  had  97,  you  86,  14  blanks.  .  .  .  The  intention  is  if  you  wish 
to  decline  a  further  ballot  and  Donnel  [sic]  or  some  other  person  cannot 
succeed  to  postpone  until  the  next  session.  .  .  .  Both  your  sayings  and 
your  letters  have  been  misrepresented.    The  letter  you  wrote  to  Governor 


244  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Owen  has  been  used  as  a  menace  or  challenge,  and  he  has  not  thought 
proper  to  call  either  for  General  Ward's  letter  or  Colonel  Hinton's  .  .  . 
Donnel  and  friends  are  prepared  to  co-operate  in  whatever  shall  be  deemed 
advisable.  Fisher  .  .  .  feels  confident  your  presence  and  nothing  else 
can  save  us  from  Owen's  election.  I  view  his  success  under  existing  cir- 
cumstances as  fatal  to  our  future  prospects." 

It  seems  that  Owen  was  finally  induced  to  withdraw  in  favor 
of  Mangum,  and  the  latter  was  chosen  Senator.  I  have  not  learned 
with  exactness  the  reason  for  his  anger  with  Owen  save  that  it 
grew  out  of  the  bitterness  of  this  campaign.  But  on  December  ist, 
in  letters  to  General  Ward  and  Charles  L.  Hinton,  Mangum  took 
occasion  to  implicate  Owen's  "political  principles  in  the  strongest 
and  most  unequivocal  manner,"  and  with  that  open  frankness  and 
chivalrous  disregard  of  personal  consequences  that  characterized 
him  all  his  life  he  at  once  notified  Owen  of  his  letters  and  avowed 
his  willingness  to  give  him  the  satisfaction  then  usual  among  gen- 
tlemen. Owen  considered  this  a  challenge  and  accepted.  Louis  D. 
Henry  was  his  second,  while  W.  M.  Sneed,  State  Senator  from 
Granville,  acted  for  Mangum;  but  through  the  mediation  of 
D.  F.  Caldwell  and  an  intelligence  as  sensible  as  unusual,  the  sec- 
onds appeased  the  wrath  of  the  principals,  and  later  they  became 
political  friends. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Mangum  was  elected  as  a  Republican  or 
Democrat,  or  follower  of  Jackson.  He  had  been  a  Jackson  elector 
in  1828,  and  this  contest  for  Senator  seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of 
friendly  squabble  among  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  Party. 
Mangum  had  as  yet  developed  few  of  those  tendencies  which  after- 
ward led  him  into  the  Whig  Party. 

His  first  important  speech  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  seems  to 
have  been  that  on  the  Tariff  of  1832.  His  sympathies  were  with 
the  South  on  that  question,  and  he  was  by  no  means  in  love  with 
Jackson's  constitutional  views,  as  announced  in  his  famous  proc- 
lamation to  the  people  of  South  Carolina ;  but  while  his  sympathies 
drew  him  in  that  direction  he  was  not  a  nullifier,  although  often 
so  charged  by  his  enemies.  In  January,  1832,  Mr.  Clay  proposed 
the  removal  of  all  duties  from  articles  which  did  not  come  in  com- 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  245 

petition  with  similar  articles  produced  in  this  country.  The  effect, 
and  the  purpose,  was  to  make  necessary  higher  rates  of  duty  upon 
the  articles  which  could  be  or  were  produced  by  our  people. 
Mangum  said  in  part : 

"Sir,  the  State  from  which  I  come  regards  this  struggle  with  deep  solici- 
tude, and  the  most  patriotic  anxiety.  .  .  .  She  deprecates  the  pres- 
ent system  of  taxation  as  especially  sectional  and  selfish,  and  as  gradu- 
ally undermining  the  fabric  of  our  noble  institutions.  She  has  hitherto 
acquiesced  in  this  policy  with  a  dignified  moderation,  looking  to  the 
extinguishment  of  the  public  debt  as  a  period  favorable  to  the  alleviation 
of  her  burdens,  and  as  a  rectification  of  the  systems.  .  .  .  What  is  the 
effect  of  the  resolution  upon  the  table?  It  is  to  aggravate  the  evil.  It  is 
to  tax  the  necessaries  of  the  poor  man,  while  the  rich  man  may  revel  in 
luxuries  as  free  from  taxation  as  the  air  he  breathes.  .  .  .  The  only 
feature  of  mitigation  is  to  be  found  in  the  reduction  of  revenue.  This, 
however,  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  increased  inequality  in  the 
action  of  the  system." 

He  controverted  the  claim  of  constitutional  authority  to  tax 
imported  foreign  goods  for  purposes  of  protection.  This  right  was 
claimed  under  the  clause  "to  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  na- 
tions," and  under  this  clause  they  assumed  the  right  to  annihilate 
commerce  by  the  imposition  of  prohibitory  duties.  He  also  dis- 
sented from  the  position  taken  by  Jackson  in  his  annual  message 
in  December,  1830,  in  which  it  was  claimed  that  as  the  States  be- 
fore the  Constitution  was  adopted  had  absolute  control  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  as  the  whole  authority  to  regulate  commerce  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  general  government  by  that  instrument.  Congress 
therefore  possessed  all  the  power  over  the  subject  which  the  States 
had  formerly  possessed. 

After  pointing  out  the  inequalities  in  the  working  of  the  tariff 
and  its  disastrous  effects  on  the  South  in  piling  up  money  in  the 
hands  of  manufacturers  at  the  North,  he  concludes : 

"It  is  money — ^money — give  me  money  or — sir,  if  I  could  coin  my  heart 
into  gold,  and  it  were  lawful  in  the  sight  of  Heaven,  I  would  pray  God 
to  give  me  firmness  to  do  it,  to  save  this  Union  from  the  fearful — the 
dreadful  shock  which  I  verily  believe  impends." 

Of  this  speech  Mangum  writes  to  his  wife  (February  nth)  : 


246  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"I  was  not  exactly  pleased  with  my  own  effort,  yet  I  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  the  almost  universal  opinion  of  the  Senate  is  that  it  was  elo- 
quent and  powerful." 

Mangiim  was  now  leaning  away  from  Jackson,  but  he  was  not 
one  of  those  who  voted  against  the  confirmation  of  Van  Buren  as 
Minister  to  England.  He  spoke  on  the  bill,  commonly  called  the 
Force  Bill,  or  bill  to  collect  the  revenue  in  South  Carolina,  on 
January  22d,  and  writes  his  wife  February  2,  1833 : 

**We  are  deeply  engaged  in  the  Senate  upon  South  Carolina  affairs.  I 
fear  we  shall  make  war  upon  her.    I  am  opposed  to  all  harsh  measures." 

It  was  thus  that  Mangum's  alienation  from  the  old  Jacksonian 
republicanism  was  developed:  i.  He  was  hostile  to  Jackson's 
tariff  system,  and  also  to  that  of  Clay.  He  believed  in  a  tariff 
for  revenue  only;  and  indeed  Clay  at  that  time  was  forced  by 
stress  of  circumstances  to  abandon  protection  and  come  round  to 
his  position.  In  his  anxiety  to  prevent  impending  war  between 
the  sections,  Qay,  after  a  conference  with  Calhoun,  drew  a  bill 
which  his  friends  first  put  through  the  House  of  Representatives 
and  which  he  had  no  difficulty  in  putting  through  the  Senate^ 
which  by  a  gradual  process,  running  through  nine  years,  com- 
pletely abandoned  protection  and  brought  the  duties  down  to  the 
revenue  standard  of  20  per  cent,  ad  valorem.  As  agreed,  Cal- 
houn voted  for  this  bill,  and  it  became  a  law  March  2,  1833,  and 
it  settled  the  sectional  troubles  of  that  day.  2.  He  opposed  Jack- 
son's policy  of  coercing  South  Carolina,  while  himself  opposed 
nullification.  3.  In  1834  came  up  the  question  of  the  United 
States  Bank,  its  recharter,  the  removal  of  the  deposits,  the  cen- 
sure on  Jackson  and  Benton's  Expunging  resolution.  He  had 
long  seen  the  drift  in  the  matter  of  the  bank  and  had  proclaimed 
his  hostility  to  Jackson  as  early  as  January  19,  1832,  in  a  letter  to 
William  Gaston : 

**I  think  it  is  to  be  very  much  regretted  that  the  United  States  Bank  has 
come  before  Congress  at  this  session.  I  regard  the  continuance  of  that  in- 
stitution as  of  almost  indispensable  necessity. 

"By  deferring  its  application  to  next  session  I  have  no  doubt,  with  but 
slight  modification  (to  save  appearances),  it  would  have  met  with  the  Ex- 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  247 

ccutive  favor.  It  is  now  more  than  doubtful  whether  it  will — and  the  whole 
may  ultimately  take  the  appearance  of  a  trial  of  strength  between  General 
Jackson  and  the  bank.  In  that  case  the  bank  will  go  down.  For  General 
Jackson's  popularity  is  of  a  sort  not  to  be  shaken  at  present.  I  hope  for 
the  best  results  from  the  wise  and  patriotic  counsels  of  Mr.  McLane." 

4.  In  the  State  there  was  also  bitter  warfare  over  the  question 
of  instruction  of  Senators.  This  principle  Mangum  denied,  while 
Bedford  Brown,  his  colleague  in  the  Senate  (who  had  succeeded 
John  Branch),  accepted.  In  fact,  these  two  Senators  came  more 
and  more  to  represent  the  two  wings  into  which  the  old  Republi- 
can Party  was  splitting  in  North  Carolina  as  elsewhere.  In  1834 
they  canvassed  the  State  on  the  subject  of  instruction.  They 
aroused  great  interest  and  some  excitement.  The  partizans  of 
each  vied  with  their  opponents  in  giving  the  biggest  public  din- 
ners and  forming  the  largest  processions.  Brown  stood  for  the 
strict  construction  idea,  which  supported  Jackson  and  developed 
into  the  modem  Democratic  Party.  As  we  have  seen,  Mangum 
was  more  of  a  latitudinarian,  anti- Jackson,  pro-bank,  and  later 
came  to  support  Clay.  Out  of  this  latter  class  grew  the  Whig 
Party.  Besides  Clay  and  Mangum,  it  numbered  among  its  adher- 
ents Preston  and  McDuffie  of  South  Carolina ;  Poindexter  of  Mis- 
sissippi, Berrien  of  Georgia,  Bell  of  Tennessee  and  others.  In 
North  Carolina  it  claimed  Badger,  Graham,  Gaston,  the  Galeses 
and  others.  Hugh  L.  White,  representing  the  hostility  to  Van 
Buren,  Jackson's  political  heir,  was  the  candidate  of  this  still  unor- 
ganized party  for  President  in  1836,  and  Mangum  was  freely 
talked  of  as  his  running  mate. 

The  tendency  to  party  cleavage  in  Mangum's  career  was 
accentuated  and  confirmed  by  the  bank  struggle.  The  Whig 
Party,  of  which  we  may  now  begin  to  speak,  with  the  help  of 
Calhoun,  concentrated  their  forces  in  opposition  to  Jackson.  The 
United  States  Bank  was  selected  as  the  subject  over  which  the 
trial  of  strength  should  be.  The  bank  had  never  been  popular  in 
North  Carolina,  but  under  the  leadership  of  Mangum,  Gaston  and 
others  it  gained  ground,  and  branch  banks  were  established.  In 
fact,  Iredell  writes  Mangum  February  4,  1832:  "Whether  right 


248  NORTH  CAROLINA 

or  wrong,  that  bank  is  at  this  time  very  popular  in  our  State ;  I 
believe,  indeed  I  know,  it  has  done  us  vast  good,  and  as  yet  we 
have  felt  no  evils  from  it."  Calhoun  allied  himself  with  Benjamin 
Watkins  Leigh  in  Virginia  and  Mangum  in  North  Carolina,  not 
only  because  they  were  representatives  of  the  pro-bank  idea,  but 
also  because  they  represented  the  opposition  to  receiving  instruc- 
tions from  the  Assembly,  and  the  party  in  those  States  which  stood 
out  against  the  tyranny  and  extra-constitutional  assumptions  of 
Jackson.  Mangum  voted  for  the  resolution  of  censure  on  Jackson 
for  removing  the  deposits,  passed  March  28,  1834,  and  refused  to 
vote  for  Benton's  resolution  to  expunge  the  censure.  The  North 
Carolina  Legislature  of  1834-35  was  Democratic  or  pro- Jackson, 
and  hence  opposed  to  Mangum.  It  availed  itself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity offered  and  instructed  him  to  vote  for  the  Expunging  reso- 
lution (North  Carolina  acts,  1834-35,  p.  95).  These  instructions, 
with  a  bitter  arraignment  of  the  party  in  power,  Mangum  refused 
to  obey.  He  said  that  in  reference  to  the  instructions  he  would 
avail  himself  of  the  occasion  barely  to  say  that  he  should  not  con- 
form to  them.  He  should  vote  against  the  Expunging  resolution. 
The  Legislature  had  no  right  to  require  him  to  become  the  instru- 
ment of  his  own  personal  degradation.  He  repelled  the  exercise 
of  so  vindictive  a  power ;  and  when  applied  to  himself  he  repelled 
it  with  scorn  and  indignation.  The  members  of  the  Legislature 
were  servants  and  representatives  of  the  people.  He  was  likewise 
one.  That  they  were  disposed  to  guard  with  jealousy  the  honor 
of  the  State,  it  was  not  his  province  to  discuss  or  question.  He, 
likewise,  felt  it  his  duty  to  guard  the  honor  of  the  State,  and  not 
less  to  guard  his  own  personal  honor;  both,  in  his  con- 
ception, imperiously  required  him  to  disregard  the  resolutions; 
and,  that  point  being  settled  in  his  mind,  he  trusted  no  one 
who  knew  him  would  entertain  a  doubt  as  to  his  course  on  this 
subject. 

His  course  in  the  Senate  was  applauded  by  his  political  friends 
in  the  State  and  denounced  by  his  opponents  (including  Brown, 
his  colleague),  but  the  weight  of  opinion  in  the  State,  so  far  at 
least  as  it  found  expression  in  the  form  of  memorials  to  Con- 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  249 

gress,  seems  to  have  been  decidedly  pro-bank  and  in  favor  of 
Mangum. 

In  1836  came  up  for  consideration  Jackson's  scheme  of  specie 
payments.  Mangum  seems  to  have  been  rather  uncertain  as  to 
the  proper  steps,  but  even  then  saw  the  growing  danger  from  cor- 
porations. He  said  on  the  specie  payments  matter:  That  the 
measure  contemplated  an  important  change  in  the  currency  of 
the  country,  and  he  preferred  it  should  be  left  in  charge  of  its 
friends,  who  better  understood  it.  He  was  perfectly  ready  to 
vote  for  it,  if  it  came  recommended  by  the  gentlemen  from  the 
new  States ;  and  he  was  willing  to  do  so  because  he  looked  upon 
it  to  be  a  remedy  against  speculation  in  the  public  lands;  and 
because  it  might  poissibly  bring  about  a  sounder  state  in  the  circu- 
lating medium.  They  might  be  chimeras,  but  he  believed  that  all 
these  wealthy  corporate  institutions  were  inimical  to  a  spirit  of 
liberty,  which  he  preferred  to  all  the  wealth  and  splendor  of  the 
great  cities.  Banks,  railroads,  stock  companies  of  every  descrip- 
tion, might  be  useful,  but  he  was  opposed  to  them  all,  because, 
in  his  opinion,  they  were  inconsistent  with  the  true  spirit  of  Hl> 
erty.  On  another  occasion  he  opposed  giving  pre-emption  rights 
to  squatters  on  the  public  domain  in  the  West. 

The  campaign  of  1836  was  conducted  in  North  Carolina  on  the 
United  States  Bank,  nullification  and  the  instruction  of  Senators. 
The  Legislature  chosen  was  at  first  Whig,  but  Muse  of  Pasquotank 
resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  a  Democrat.  This  threw  the  Legis- 
lature into  the  Democratic  camp,  and  Mangum,  interpreting  this 
as  a  condemnation  of  his  course,  resigned  (last  of  November  or 
first  of  December,  1836)  and  was  succeeded  by  Robert  Strange, 
a  Democrat,  who  took  his  seat  December  15,  1836. 

In  1837  the  eleven  electoral  votes  of  South  Carolina,  which 
Calhoun  was  said  to  have  carried  "in  his  vest  pocket,"  were  given 
to  Mangum  for  President.  This,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Mangum 
had  supported  some  of  the  policies  of  the  great  South  Carolinian, 
raised  a  howl  in  the  Democratic  papers  that  there  had  been  a  cor- 
rupt bargain  between  the  two.  Of  this  there  is  no  evidence. 
There  is  in  fact  little  evidence  that  the  vote  of  South  Carolina  was 


2SO  NORTH  CAROLINA 

due  more  to  the  action  of  Calhoun  than  of  William  C.  Preston, 
his  Whig  colleague  in  the  Senate,  a  personal  friend,  and  for  whom 
Mangum  named  his  only  son  (cf.  Dodd's  Macon,  335-397). 

After  his  resignation  from  the  Senate  in  1836  Mangum  retired 
to  his  plantation  and  returned  to  the  law ;  but  politics  was  to  him 
as  the  breath  of  his  nostrils.  He  was  no  less  in  public  life,  though 
not  in  public  office;  in  1837  he  declined  to  become  a  candidate 
for  the  House  of  Representatives,  though  strong  pressure  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  him;  but  in  1840  he  was  sent  to  the  State 
Senate  from  Orange  County.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Education  and  assisted  in  drawing  an  act  to  provide  public 
schools  for  the  State.  Although  since  revised  and  altered,  the 
Act  of  1840  is  in  reality  the  basis  of  the  common  school  system  of 
North  Carolina  to-day  (see  Weeks's  "Beginning  of  the  Common 
School  System  in  the  South"  in  Report  United  States  Commis- 
sioner of  Education,  1896-97,  p.  1422). 

In  the  meantime  the  organization  of  the  Whig  Party  was  being 
perfected.  It  was  composed  of  men  with  many  different  shades 
of  political  belief  and  with  very  different  political  antecedents,  but 
all  were  drawn  together  by  the  particular  hope  of  defeating  the 
Locofos,  as  the  Van  Buren  branch  of  the  Democratic  Party  was 
called.  The  name  Whig,  so  Clay  explained,  was  generic  and  was 
expressly  adopted  to  embrace  men  of  all  political  opinions.  In 
1839  this  newly  formed  party  met  in  convention  in  Harrisburg  to 
nominate  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-President.  Mangum 
.was  a  member  and  went  to  the  convention  as  a  friend  of  Clay.  It 
was  a  time  when  both  North  and  South  had  to  be  propitiated  in 
the  matter  of  nominations;  when  the  nomination  for  President 
went  to  Harrison,  Clay's  chances  were  gone.  Mangum  thought 
that  Clay  had  been  unfairly  treated  and  that  his  own  acceptance 
of  the  second  place  would  prove  him  untrue  to  his  friend,  espe- 
cially as  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  convention.  This  was  his 
reply  in  substance  to  a  committee  which  asked  him  to  accept  the 
second  place.  The  committee  went  to  him  three  times  and  urged 
the  place  upon  him,  but  their  solicitations  were  unheeded.  This 
is  the  report  that  comes  to  me  of  the  matter  from  his  family,  and 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  251 

I  have  found  contemporary  evidence  in  Niles's  Register  which 
confirms  this  account.  The  family  account  says  further  that  when 
Mangum's  name  was  under  consideration  Governor  Owen,  who 
was  president  of  the  convention,  remarked,  "We  have  better  things 
in  store  for  Mr.  Mangum.'*  This  would  imply  that  the  North 
Carolina  delegation  was  not  a  unit  in  his  support,  which  we  learn 
also  from  other  sources,  and  this  no  doubt  had  its  weight  in 
defeating  any  aspirations  he  may  have  cherished.  On  the  other 
hand.  Dr.  Lyon  G.  Tyler,  son  of  President  Tyler,  claims  that 
his  father  was  from  the  first  the  choice  of  the  convention,  while 
Henry  A.  Wise,  in  his  uncritical  biography  of  Tyler,  "Seven 
Decades  of  the  Union"  (pp.  158,  161,  169),  claims  that  Tyler's 
nomination  had  been  settled  long  in  advance. 

The  question  of  instruction  of  Senators  had  now  received  a 
new  turn  in  North  Carolina.  Mangum  had  been  instructed  in 
1834  to  vote  for  Benton's  Expunging  resolution  and  had  refused 
to  do  so  or  to  resign,  and  this  had  brought  him  into  sharp  conflict 
with  Bedford  Brown,  his  colleague,  as  we  have  seen.  After  his 
resignation.  Brown  and  Strange,  his  successor,  voted  for  Benton's 
resolution  (passed  January  16,  1837).  The  North  Carolina 
Assembly  of  1838  was  Whig.  It  censured  Brown  and  Strange 
for  voting  for  the  Expunging  resolution  and  then  instructed  them 
to  oppose  Van  Buren's  sub-treasury  system,  to  advocate  a  division 
of  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  public  lands  among  the  States 
according  to  population,  and  to  endeavor  to  secure  reform  in  the 
public  expenditures  and  a  reduction  of  taxes  (December  8,  1838). 
The  Senators  were  both  Democrats,  and  in  a  letter,  dated  Decem- 
ber 31,  1838,  claimed  not  to  understand  the  purport  of  the  cen- 
sure and  resolutions  of  the  Assembly.  Their  resignations  were 
finally  forwarded  during  the  Harrison- Van  Buren  campaign  in 
1840  and  caused  considerable  excitement. 

In  that  year  the  State  went  with  the  Whigs.  Mangum  was 
re-elected  to  the  Senate  as  a  Whig  to  succeed  Brown,  and  took 
his  seat  December  9,  1840;  William  A.  Graham,  also  a  Whig,  suc- 
ceeded Strange  and  took  his  seat  December  10.  As  Brown's  term 
expired  March  4,  1841,  Mangum  was  chosen  to  fill  the  full  term 


252  NORTH  CAROLINA 

beginning  on  that  date,  and  so  served  continuously  by  re-elections 
from  December  9,  1840,  to  March  3,  1853.  During  his  senatorial 
terms  he  served  on  the  committees  on  roads  and  canals,  pensions, 
foreign  relations,  judiciary,  militia,  District  of  Columbia,  finance 
and  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  naval  affairs  in  1841.  In 
general  he  advocated  the  policies  of  the  Whig  Party.  The  Whigs 
repealed  Van  Buren's  Independent  Treasury  or  sub-treasury 
and  passed  an  act  establishing  a  new  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
which  was  vetoed  by  Tyler.  They  then  passed  an  act  for  a  fiscal 
corporation  which  was  to  have  the  functions  of  a  bank,  and  the 
draft  of  which  had  been  submitted  to  Tyler.  This  act  he  also 
vetoed;  he  was  then  read  out  of  the  Whig  Party.  After  these 
failures  Mangum  favored  depositing  the  public  money  in  State 
banks,  regulated  by  law,  and  said  that  not  one  Whig  in  five  thou- 
sand in  North  Carolina  was  opposed  to  a  national  bank.  He 
opposed  the  Exchequer  Board  scheme,  devised  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  This  Board  was  to  consist  of  three  men  who 
were  to  have  charge  of  the  finances.  It  was  denounced  with  great 
severity  by  Mangum  and  others  and  defeated.  He  regarded  it  as 
placing  the  public  purse  as  well  as  the  sword  in  the  hands  of  the 
President. 

On  Tyler's  accession  to  the  Presidency,  Samuel  L.  Southard 
of  New  Jersey,  who  had  been  previously  chosen  President  of  the 
Senate  pro  tempore,  became  its  regular  presiding  officer  and  as 
such  acting  Vice-President.  Southard  resigned  May  3,  1842, 
and  on  May  31st  Mangum  was  chosen  his  successor.  He  continued 
to  occupy  this  position  till  March  4,  1845 »  ^^  was  he  who  that  day 
inaugurated  the  practice  of  turning  back  the  hands  of  the  clock  in 
order  to  lengthen  the  official  day. 

In  1844  the  Whigs- opposed  the  immediate  annexation  of  Texas 
and  rejected  Tyler's  treaty  on  that  subject;  in  1846  Mangum 
strongly  opposed  the  attitude  of  the  country  on  the  Oregon  Ques- 
tion, which  threatened  to  involve  us  in  a  war  with  England;  he 
also  opposed  the  war  with  Mexico.  In  1847  he  was  offered  the 
nomination  for  President.by  the  executive  committee  of  the  Native 
American  Party  of  Pennsylvania;  in  1848  he  was  much  talked  of 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  253 

as  a  running  mate  to  Judge  McLean  of  Ohio,  who  was  being  con- 
sidered for  the  Presidency;  again  in  1852  he  could  have  had  the 
Whig  nomination  for  Vice-President,  but  because  of  the  temper 
of  the  people  in  North  Carolina  declined. 

It  will  be  noted  that  at  the  time  of  Mangum's  election  to  the 
highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  Senate,  and  what  was  at  that  par- 
ticular time  but  one  remove  from  the  Presidency,  he  had  had  less 
than  seven  years  of  senatorial  life  in  all  and  had  been  returned  to 
the  Senate  less  than  two  years  before.  He  had  been  chairman  of 
the  Senate  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  in  1841 ;  it  is  evident  that 
he  had  rapidly  forged  ahead  and  had  in  a  very  short  time  taken 
high  rank  among  the  leaders  of  his  day.  This  position  of  leader- 
ship he  continued  to  hold.  He  was  not  a  frequent  speaker.  He 
did  his  work  outside  the  Senate  chamber  in  settling  disputes, 
shaping  policies  and  keeping  the  running  gear  of  the  party  in 
good  order.  He  was  such  an  astute  political  manager  that  his 
political  enemies  were  even  inclined  to  regard  him  as  a  Machia- 
velli.  Clay  was  perhaps  his  warmest  personal  friend,  although  he 
was  hardly  less  intimate  with  Webster.  The  secret  of  his  power 
seems  to  have  been  in  his  masterful  intellect,  his  dignity  and 
character.  He  never  neglected  his  duty ;  was  a  thorough  parlia- 
mentarian and  was  never  uninformed  as  to  anything  pertaining 
to  his  station.  The  Senate  ranked  him  higher  than  his  own 
people. 

We  have  a  contemporary  estimate  of  him  as  a  presiding  officer. 
Caleb  Atwater  of  Ohio,  in  his  "Mysteries  of  Washington  City" 
(Washington,  1844),  says: 

"He  presides  in  the  Senate  and  occupies  the  Vice-President's  room  in 
the  Capitol.  He  is  a  man  above  the  common  size,  of  fair  complexion  and 
commanding  air,  rather  grave  in  his  manners,  but  very  agreeable  and  ap- 
pears to  be  kind-hearted.  His  voice  is  clear,  sufficiently  loud  and  distinct  to 
be  heard  all  over  the  Senate  chamber  and  its  gallery.  On  the  whole,  he  is, 
taking  him  all  in  all,  the  best  presiding  officer  that  I  ever  saw  in  any  legis- 
lative assembly.  He  is  always  at  his  ease,  always  dignified  and  always 
agreeable.  His  appearance  is  that  of  a  man  about  forty  years  old.  He  is 
a  Whig,  unwavering  and  unflinching,  yet,  like  the  Kentucky  Senators,  not 
a  persecuting  Whig,  often  voting  to  confirm  men  in  offices  who  arc  not 


254  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Whigs  or  anything  else — long.    He  appears  to  look  more  to  the  interests 
of  his  country  than  his  party."     (Page  131.) 

Alexander  H.  Stephens  said  he  had  great  influence  in  the 
Senate;  that  he  spoke  with  clearness,  conciseness,  terseness  and 
power  and  dealt  very  little  in  the  flowers  of  rhetoric  or  the  orna- 
ments of  oratory.  Hannibal  Hamlin  called  him  one  of  the  ablest 
men  of  his  time.  In  fact,  it  has  been  said  that  he  had  more 
influence  in  the  Senate  than  any  other  Southern  man  of  his 
day. 

The  whole  of  Judge  Mangum's  life  was  spent  in  the  service  of 
his  State.  For  thirty-five  years,  1818  to  1853,  when  his  health 
had  already  failed,  to  be  followed  soon  after  by  a  disease  of  the 
spinal  column,  he  was  almost  constantly  in  the  public  service.  He 
was  so  passionately  devoted  to  the  Union  and  to  the  interests  of 
his  State  that  his  private  affairs,  had  it  not  been  for  the  business 
capacity  of  his  wife  and  daughter,  would  have  been  seriously 
impaired.  As  a  campaigner  he  has  seldom  had  an  equal  in  the 
State,  for  he  was  subtile  and  persuasive  and  skilful  as  a  dialecti- 
cian. His  superior  among  North  Carolina  speakers  has  never 
appeared.  In  the  day  of  great  orators  in  the  Senate  he  held  his 
own,  and  I  am  told  that  traditions  of  his  fame  in  oratory  still 
linger  in  the  Senate  chamber  like  a  sweet  aroma  of  a  long- 
vanished  past ;  the  reputation  of  an  orator,  however,  does  not  con^ 
sist  in  the  things  that  men  remember  but  in  the  memory  of  the 
effects  produced,  and  it  is  impossible  for  the  historian  to  transfer 
to  writing  the  persuasiveness  of  his  compelling  periods. 

He  was  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  the  University  of  North 
Carolina;  received  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  1815,  A.M.  in  1818,  and 
LL.D.  in  1845.  He  was  often  in  demand  as  a  commencement 
orator,  but  seems  to  have  carefully  avoided  such  engagements. 
He  was  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow ;  in  personal  appearance  was 
large,  being  over  six  feet  in  height  and  well  proportioned;  full 
of  dignity  and  courtesy,  his  stateliness  was  noticeable  and  com- 
manding. He  was  successful  as  a  lawyer  and  judge,  and,  while 
a  man  of  splendid  accomplishment,  was  still  more  remarkable  for 
the    suggestiveness   of   his   thought    (see   Tourgee's    "A   Royal 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  255 

Gentleman,"  for  a  pregnant  paragraph  on  this  phase  of  Southern 
character). 

On  the  more  personal  and  human  side  Mangum  was  the  life 
and  soul  of  a  dinner  party,  and  his  stories  were  full  of  pith  and 
point.  The  charm  of  his  conversation  was  extraordinary,  his 
sincerity,  his  mellifluous  voice,  the  grace  and  dignity  of  his  per- 
sonal carriage,  his  affability  and  kindness,  his  love  of  nature  in 
general  and  birds  in  particular,  his  unbounded  charity — ^were 
winning  qualities  which  made  him  honored,  respected  and  loved. 

Of  his  kindness  in  particular  Judge  Edwin  G.  Reade  wrote  in 
1865  that  he  "was  always  interested  in  the  young  and  in  the 
friendless.  It  was  characteristic  of  him;  whenever  he  could,  he 
made  them  his  companions  and  advised  them  and  praised  them, 
and  when  need  was  defended  them."  Of  his  powers  as  a  popular 
orator,  he  says :  "He  was  almost  all  his  life  in  the  public  coun- 
cils, and  no  man  of  his  day  was  esteemed  wiser.  But  his  most 
interesting  exhibitions  were  before  his  own  people  as  a  popular 
orator.  It  was  then  that  his  commanding  person,  his  rich,  flowing 
language,  his  clarion  voice,  his  graceful  gesticulation  and  his 
genial  humor,  made  him  almost  irresistible.  No  one  ever  tired  of 
listening  to  him.  He  never  let  himself  down,  was  never  afraid  of 
overshooting  his  audience." 

And  in  more  recent  years  the  late  Daniel  R.  Goodloe  wrote : 

"As  presiding  officer  he  discharged  its  duties  with  distinguished  ability 
and  courtesy,  and  received  the  unanimous  thanks  of  the  body.  He  be- 
came an  ardent  friend  of  Mr.  Clay,  and  in  1852  took  an  active  part  in 
bringing  out  General  Scott  to  succeed  General  Taylor. 

"Mr.  Mangum  was  an  admirable  conversationalist.  My  friend,  John 
B.  Fry,  who  is  a  devoted  admirer  of  Mr.  Clay,  whom  he  knew  intimately, 
as  he  did  Mr.  Mangum.  thinks  the  latter  excelled  the  great  Kentuckian  in 
this  accomplishment.  I  knew  him  well,  and  I  have  never  met  his  equal 
in  this  regard,  taking  him  all  in  all ;  for  he  never  forgot  to  listen,  as  well 
as  to  talk,  which  most  superior  men  who  are  good  talkers  are  apt  to  do. 

"Judge  Mangum  was  my  best  friend,  to  whom  I  am  greatly  indebted  for 
kindness.  I  came  here  in  1844  in  search  of  employment.  He  found  it  for 
me  as  associate  editor  of  a  daily  Whig  paper,  The  Whig  Standard.  ...  At 
the  end  of  the  campaign  in  November,  I  owed  him  nearly  fifty  dollars; 
and  when  I  was  able  to  repay  him,  two  years  later,  he  was  unwilling  to 


256  NORTH  CAROLINA 

admit  that  I  owed  him  anything.  When  I  told  him  the  exact  amount,  and 
insisted  on  paying,  he  urged  me  to  go  and  buy  me  a  suit  of  clothes.  How- 
ever, I  persisted  in  forcing  the  money  on  him,  and  he  at  length  received 
it.  It  is  my  pleasure,  and  my  duty,  to  record  this  fact,  illustrative  of  the 
generous  nature  of  one  of  North  Carolina's  greatest  men." 

As  the  war  came  on  Judge  Mangum  naturally  sided  with  the 
South,  but  he  was  never  a  secessionist ;  in  fact,  he  was  a  strong 
Union  man  till  the  war  became  a  reality.  He  then  went  with  the 
South  and  sent  his  only  son  to  the  front.  The  death  of  this  son 
caused  a  return  of  the  paralysis  with  which  he  had  been  afflicted 
for  years,  and  he  died  at  his  coimtry  seat,  Walnut  Hall,  then  in 
Orange,  now  in  Durham  County,  North  Carolina,  September  7, 
1861  (not  September  14th). 

Judge  Mangum  married  September  30,  1819,  Charity  Alston 
Cain  (1795-1873).  She  was  the  daughter  of  William  Cain  and 
of  Mrs.  Sarah  (Alston)  Dudley.  The  Cains  were  Irish  and  set- 
tled in  Maryland.  William  Cain  was  bom  in  Baltimore ;  migrated 
to  Orange  County,  North  Carolina ;  became  a  prosperous  merchant 
and  planter;  founded  a  large  and  well-known  family,  and  at  the 
first  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
December  18,  1789,  made  to  that  body  a  larger  donation  than  they 
had  up  to  that  time  received  from  any  other  source.  Mrs.  Man- 
gum's  mother  was  the  daughter  of  James  Alston  (died  1761)  of 
Orange  and  granddaughter  of  John  Alston  (1673-1758),  founder 
of  the  North  Carolina  family  of  that  name  and  a  justice  of  the 
colonial  Supreme  Court  (q.  v.).  To  Judge  and  Mrs.  Mangum 
were  bom  five  children:  Sallie  Alston  (1824-96);  Martha 
Person  (Pattie)  (1828-1902)  ;  Catharine  Davis,  died  in  infancy; 
Mary  Sutherland  (1832-1902)  ;  and  WiUiam  Preston  (1837-61). 
The  son  was  educated  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina 
and  began  the  study  of  law,  but  delayed  practice  to  attend  his 
father's  plantation;  he  volunteered  as  a  private,  became  second 
lieutenant  in  Company  B,  Sixth  North  Carolina  Regiment,  Colonel 
Charles  F.  Fisher,  C.  S.  A.,  and  died  July  28,  1861,  from  the 
effects  of  wounds  received  at  the  first  battle  of  Manassas. 

Sallie  Alston  Mangum  married  in  185 1  Colonel  Martin  Wash- 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM  257 

ington  Leach  (1806-69),  ^in  older  brother  of  General  James 
Madison  Leach  (1815-91),  and  an  extensive  planter  and  capi- 
talist of  Randolph  County,  North  Carolina.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren to  attain  maturity  and  who  are  still  living:  Mrs.  Julian  A. 
Turner  of  Greensboro,  Mrs.  Stephen  B.  Weeks  and  Miss  Annie 
Preston  Leach  of  Randolph  County,  North  Carolina.  The  third 
generation  is  represented  by  three  boys  and  six  girls.  None  of 
the  other  children  of  Judge  Mangum  ever  married.  Misses 
Martha  and  Mary  Mangum  resided  at  Walnut  Hall  till  their 
death.  During  the  war  and  for  some  years  after  its  close  they 
conducted  at  their  home  a  select  school  for  young  ladies,  which 
drew  patrons  from  many  sections  of  the  State. 

This  brief  sketch  of  the  very  active  career  of  Judge  Mangum 
is  based  mainly  on  his  correspondence  and  on  family  history.  His 
public  career  will  be  found  in  the  journals  of  the  Assembly  and 
of  Congress,  while  the  genealogy  of  his  family  will  be  found  in 
part  in  the  supplement  to  Groves's  "The  Alstons  and  Allstons  of 
North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina."  Short  sketches  of  his  career 
have  appeared  in  the  various  biographical  works  dealing  with  the 
United  States  and  North  Carolina,  but  no  suitable  biography,  no 
worthy  sketch  even  has  hitherto  appeared.  There  are  at  least  four 
oil  portraits  of  Mangum,  one  in  possession  of  Willie  Mangum 
Person,  Esq.,  of  Louisburg,  North  Carolina,  one  in  the  hall  of 
the  Dialectic  Society  at  Chapel  Hill  and  two  in  possession  of  the 
family,  including  the  one  from  which  the  accompanying  engrav- 
ing is  made.  His  correspondence,  large  in  amount  and  varied  in 
character,  is  in  my  hands,  and  I  have  in  preparation  a  volume  on 
his  life  and  times  which  I  hope  to  make  definitive. 

Stephen  B.  Weeks, 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM,  JR. 


fILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM,  JR.,  was  the 
second  child  and  oldest  son  of  Priestley  Hinton 
Mangum,  brother  of  the  distinguished  judge 
and  senator,  and  of  Rebecca  Hilliard  Sutherland 
of  Wake  Forest,  Wake  County,  North  Carolina. 
He  was  born  in  Wake  County,  May  7,  1827,  and 
was  on  his  mother's  side  descended  from  Colonel  Ransom  Suther- 
land, one  of  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution.  His  father  was  born 
April  3,  1795,  and,  like  his  uncle,  was  educated  at  the  University  of 
North  Carolina,  took  the  whole  course  in  two  years  and  received 
the  A.B.  degree  in  181 5  with  first  honor.  He  chose  the  law  as  a 
profession,  settled  in  Wake,  but  in  February,  1830,  removed  to 
Hillsboro,  where  he  lived  till  his  death,  September  17,  1850. 
Unlike  his  better  known  brother,  he  stuck  closely  to  the  law,  had 
a  large  practice  in  Wake,  Granville  and  adjoining  counties,  and 
accumulated  what  was  a  handsome  estate  for  his  day  in  negroes 
and  real  estate.  Besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  there  were 
other  children:  Catharine  (Kate),  born  1825.  who  died  soon  after 
her  father ;  Rebecca,  who  married  John  R.  Williams  of  Arkansas ; 
Mary  L.,  who  married  J.  J.  James,  for  some  years  editor  of  the 
Biblical  Recorder;  Priestley  Hinton,  Jr.,  who  studied  medicine  but 
devoted  himself  to  farming;  and  Leonard  Henderson,  who  was 
graduated  from  Princeton,  studied  law  and  removed  to  Arkansas, 
saw  hard  service  in  the  Confederate  Army,  went  into  politics,  be- 


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»'  n  stn-i'.' -1  I'lW  anil  rc'n"\i''  'o  ^  '^:nn.^as, 
<    '     :  ••   !'  rale  Ai!v.\',  va-n:  •:■'     i    •    ..>:-■    be- 


'Imi^j''-  ' '.' 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM,  Jr.  259 

came  a  judge  of  one  of  the  inferior  courts  in  Arkansas  and  died 
in  Washington  City,  April,  1903. 

In  1838  Willie  P.  Mangum,  Jr.,  entered  the  Bingham  School 
and  remained  there  till  1844,  when  he  entered  Wake  Forest  Col- 
lege. He  was  there  two  years ;  went  to  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  in  1846  and  was  graduated  in  1848,  delivering  an  oration 
on  the  character  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  He  became  a  tutor  in 
Wake  Forest  College  and  remained  one  year,  when  he  began  the 
study  of  law  under  his  father;  after  his  death  he  removed  to 
Washington  City  and  took  a  position  in  the  Census  Office.  In 
1853  he  returned  to  North  Carolina  and  resumed  the  study  of 
law,  this  time  in  Raleigh,  under  Judge  Badger,  and  later  con-, 
tinned  his  studies  in  New  York  City  under  Honorable  E.  W. 
Stoughton,  judge  and  later  United  States  Minister  to  Russia.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York  State,  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  and  to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  next  few  years  were  devoted  to  his  profession. 

Unlike  the  rest  of  his  family  in  the  civil  struggle  which  was  now 
coming  on,  he  sided  with  the  North,  and  on  March  27,  1861,  was 
commissioned  by  the  State  Department  as  United  States  Consul  at 
Ningpo,  China.  He  arrived  there  December  11,  1861,  two  days 
after  its  capture  by  the  T'ai-p4ng  rebels,  under  Fang.  It  soon  be- 
came necessary  to  take  measures  for  the  safety  of  the  foreign  com- 
munity at  Ningpo,  and  on  January  12,  1862,  proceedings  were 
taken  to  this  end  and  for  the  government  of  the  75,000  Chinese 
who  had  crowded  for  protection  into  the  foreign  quarter  of  the 
city.  This  heavy  duty  fell  upon  the  consuls  of  the  treaty  powers, 
and  as  the  French  consul  was  practically  incapacitated  it  was  dis* 
charged  by  the  consuls  of  England  and  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Mangum  and  his  colleague  holding  court  on  alternate  weeks, 
from  January  12,  to  May  10,  1862,  when  power  was  restored  to  the 
former  authorities  through  a  bombardment  of  the  city  by  the 
English  and  French.  These  judicial  services  were  highly  appreci- 
ated by  the  people,  who  expressed  their  thanks  in  oriental  fashion 
by  presenting  to  each  of  the  consuls  a  large  umbrella,  like  that 
borne  before  mandarins  of  the  first  rank. 


26o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

In  the  Spring  of  1864  Mangum  was  transferred  to  the  consulate 
at  Chin-Kiang,  on  the  Yang-tse,  at  the  junction  of  the  Grand 
Canal  with  that  river,  but  the  confinement  resulting  from  the  dis- 
turbances in  Ningpo  and  the  Chekiang  province  had  undermined 
his  health  and  compelled  his  return  to  America,  for  which  he 
sailed  April  29,  1864.  The  change  of  scene,  the  sea  voyage,  and 
Winter  restored  his  health,  and  on  March  18,  1865,  he  was  made 
consul  to  Nagasaki,  Japan;  he  was  reappointed  by  Johnson, 
May  29,  1865,  and  there  he  remained  till  1880. 

He  was  detailed  to  take  charge  of  the  consulate  general  in 
Shanghai,  as  Vice-Consul-General,  February  i,  1867,  to  March  19, 
1868,  in  the  absence  of  George  F.  Seward,  the  Consul-General,  and 
in  this  connection  was  also  United  States  postal  agent ;  he  organ- 
ized and  started  the  first  American  mail  service  in  China,  their 
first  office  being  in  the  consulate  general  in  Shanghai.  After 
resuming  his  duties  at  Nagasaki  he  continued  his  postal  work  till 
arrangements  were  perfected  by  the  Japanese  Government  for 
taking  over  their  mail  service. 

In  December,  1868,  along  with  Reverend  Guido  Verbeck,  the 
apostle  of  Japan,  he  spent  some  days,  by  invitation,  in  visiting  the 
Prince  of  Hizen  in  Saga,  his  capital.  They  were  the  first  white 
men  to  be  seen  in  Saga,  and  this  was  one  way  taken  by  the  Prince 
to  reconcile  his  people  to  the  impending  changes,  for  the  clans 
of  Satsuma,  Choshiu,  Tosa,  and  Hizen  were  leaders  in  the  strug- 
gle then  going  on  against  the  Shoguns  (Tokugawa  family),  and 
out  of  which  came  the  restoration  of  the  Mikado  to  supreme  power 
and  the  opening  of  Japan  to  the  Western  world.  The  Prince  of 
Hizen  remained  the  firm  friend  of  Mangum  and  presented  him 
many  rare  specimens  of  ceramics,  which  cannot  now  be  duplicated. 

Mangum  sailed  for  America  November  10,  1872,  and  his  last 
visit  to  North  Carolina  was  in  the  spring  of  1873.  He  reached 
Japan  on  his  return  July  16,  1873,  and  resumed  his  duties  at 
Nagasaki.  In  the  Spring  of  1874  he  was  chosen  sole  arbitrator 
in  the  case  of  the  Takashima  coal  mines,  a  matter  which  involved 
England,  Holland  and  Japan  in  many  intricate  and  opposing 
views  and  had  been  long  in  the  courts.    No  satisfactory  conclusion 


WILLIE  PERSON  MANGUM,  Jr.  261 

seeming  possible,  it  was  decided  to  submit  the  whole  matter  to 
three  arbitrators,  one  to  be  chosen  by  each  nationality;  but,  on 
comparing  the  nominations,  it  was  found  that  Mang^m  had  been 
chosen  by  each,  a  singular  and  remarkable  proof  of  the  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held.  His  decision  was  rendered  the  following 
summer  and  was  acceptable  to  all. 

Mangum's  health  was  always  more  or  less  delicate,  and  with 
the  hope  that  a  colder  climate  would  restore  him,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Tien-Tsin,  in  North  China,  March  29,  1880.  He  left 
Japan  in  September  of  that  year,  but  the  colder  climate  failed  to 
do  what  was  hoped  from  it,  and  he  died  in  Tien-Tsin,  February  11, 
1881.  He  was  temporarily  interred  at  that  port,  but  was  later, 
removed  to  America  and  reinterred  in  the  Congressional  cemetery 
in  Washington  City. 

He  was  long  dean  of  the  consular  corps  in  Nagasaki  and  was 
held  in  high  esteem  by  his  colleagues.  He  was  of  a  pleasant, 
courteous  disposition,  dignified,  but  genial  and  charming  in  con- 
versation, and  while  energetic  and  business-like  in  important 
affairs,  in  unessential  things  was  disposed  to  the  doctrine  of 
laissez  faire.  He  was  elected  March  20,  1866,  a  non-resident  mem- 
ber of  the  North  China  Branch  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  and 
on  June  30,  1876,  for  long  services  rendered  to  his  consulate,  was 
decorated  by  the  King  of  Portugal  with  the  Royal  Portuguese 
Military  Order  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  highly 
esteemed  by  resident  and  visiting  Americans  and  the  Japanese 
soon  learned  to  consult  with  and  trust  him  in  many  matters  of  im- 
portance outside  of  his  consular  duties.  Although  long  a  non- 
resident, Mr.  Mangum  never  forgot  the  State  of  his  nativity. 
That  he  considered  it  his  home  to  the  last  is  shown  by  the  filing 
of  his  will  for  probate  in  Wake,  the  county  of  his  birth. 

Mr.  Mangum  married  in  Washington,  D.  C.  on  October  24, 
1855,  Miss  Fannie  Vaulx  Ladd,  daughter  of  Joseph  Brown  Ladd 
and  Harriet  Vaulx  Conway,  widow  of  Major  W.  H.  Nicoll, 
U.  S.  A.  No  children  were  bom  to  this  marriage.  Mrs.  Mangum 
was  a  woman  of  decided  literary  tastes ;  she  was  an  artist,  and  an 
authority  on  ceramics  and  conchology  and  to  some  extent  on 


Hf/l 


^'":-r  r x'^' 


cf  shells.  Ker  ccZZecriccs  ircre 
f  r*  ^  '*r^^  ^/!  v/  i,r*: :  :r..t  rerr-afr.-^I-^.  after  befrs'  5*-tDeTrr:at  a::^- 
v^^.'-t'A  ^,j  f*!:^  \^'.^rx'y.r,s  ir^jrr,  *jr.^  Ea.*t.  were  presented  to  the 
rV,;'/^r*:*v  of  '.'orth  Caro!:na,  She  pre^iie-i  c-rer  tbc  social  life  of 
♦ry  f/>f^:;;n  r^:^-^.t%  :n  \'a^a%ai::.  acxxcr.panfed  h*er  htisbar-d  in  all 
},u  •r^v">.  ^r^'/.j^ht  t>ark  h:^  br/dy  to  Arr^ca,  and  spent  her  last 
<*/A[%  in  V/;i^h:n^f*/jfi  City,  where  ^he  died  in  i^/ji. 

7hi%  \V^jh  i%  made  up  ff/m  a  sketch  przr.t&i  by  Mrs.  Mangtzm 
if.  fJj^-  *.V/rth  rjarolina  L'ntrcrsity  Magazine  in  1890.  and  frofa 
n/dU'TVAU  in  pfA^AS\r/n  of  the  family. 

Stephen  B.  Weeks, 


^. 


c^onn^ 


'RIF.STl 


■  • :  t  , .  \^  -    •  < ' 

i^'a^s  as  I 
'  .-til  y.  j: 


-^, 


PRIESTLEY  HINTON  MANGUM 


Priestley  hinton  mangum,  one  of  the 

most  progressive  agriculturalists  of  the  State, 
was  born  on  August  21,  1829,  in  Wake  Forest 
Township,  Wake  County.  The  Mangums  are 
of  Welch  extraction,  the  first  of  the  name  com- 
ing to  America  being  John  Mangum,  who  emi- 
grated to  iliis  country  from  Wales.  The  family  early  settled  in 
Orange  County,  where  its  members  were  highly  esteemed  for  their 
capacity  and  sterling  worth.  Mr.  P.  H.  Mangum,  Sr.,  graduated 
in  the  same  class  as  his  brother,  Willie  P.  Mangum,  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  in  1815,  and  studied  law.  He  repre- 
sented Orange  County  in  the  Legislature  of  1832,  but  he  was  not 
drawn  into  a  public  career  like  his  more  gifted  brother,  who 
became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  North  Carolinians.  Mr. 
Willie  Mangum  was  an  orator  of  the  first  class  and  a  jurist  who 
was  an  ornament  to  the  bench,  and  a  statesman  who  reflected 
great  honor  on  the  people  of  North  Carolina.  He  was  elected  to 
the  United  States  Senate  in  1831,  and  again  in  1841  and  again 
in  1847.  I^  1837  South  Carolina  cast  all  of  her  electoral  votes 
for  him  for  President.  And  five  years  later,  when  Vice-President 
Tyler  had  succeeded  to  the  Presidency,  Mr.  Mangum,  who  was 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Senators,  was  by 
the  choice  of  his  fellow-members  elected  President  of  the  Senate 
and  continued  to  hold  that  position  for  three  years ;  and  it  has  been 


264  NORTH  CAROLINA 

well  said  of  him  that  he  was  equal  to  every  station  he  occupied. 
He,  Governor  Graham,  Mr.  Macon  and  Judge  Badger  were  the 
most  influential  sons  North  Carolina  has  produced. 

Mr.  Priestley  Mangum  married  Miss  Rebecca  HiUiard  Suther- 
land, whose  father.  Colonel  Ransom  Sutherland,  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary officer  and  served  with  high  distinction  during  the  war  for 
independence. 

The  influence  of  such  parents  and  of  such  association  in  his  early 
life  was  not  without  its  effect  in  forming  the  character  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  His  father  was  a  man  of  fine  judgment  and 
strong  common  sense,  a  man  of  high  integrity,  well  educated  and 
a  lawyer  of  great  influence  in  his  community ;  but  he  was  fond  of 
home  life  and  preferred  a  residence  on  his  farm,  and  as  Mrs.  Man- 
gum  unhappily  died  when  her  son  was  very  young,  he  fell  more 
particularly  under  the  directing  care  of  his  father  than  is  usual 
with  children. 

He  was  prepared  for  college  by  William  J.  Bingham,  the  second 
of  that  name,  and  entering  Wake  Forest  College,  graduated  at  that 
institution  in  185 1.  Intending  to  devote  himself  to  agriculture, 
he  immediately  began  the  life  of  a  farmer  and  located  on  the  farm 
where  he  was  born  two  miles  west  of  Wake  Forest ;  and  there,  on 
December  16,  1856,  he  brought  his  bride.  Miss  Mary  Thomas 
Price,  and  six  children,  now  surviving,  blessed  their  union. 

Agriculture  has  always  been  the  most  important  industry  of  the 
people  of  North  Carolina,  and  it  has  employed  the  best  talent  of 
the  State.  In  the  days  of  slavery  the  finest  minds  and  strongest 
men  were  engaged  in  this  occupation,  and  they  brought  to  it  their 
best  intelligence,  and  it  was  esteemed  the  noblest  employment  for 
a  man's  capabilities,  as  it  was  accompanied  by  a  spirit  of  independ- 
ence and  of  self-reliance  and  of  noble  manhood  that  was  not  so 
thoroughly  fostered  by  other  vocations. 

Since  the  abolition  of  slavery  it  has  been  attended  with  more 
difficulties,  and  its  successful  practice  has  required  even  closer  at- 
tention and  more  strenuous  endeavors ;  but  still  it  is  a  field  for  the 
exercise  of  superior  talent,  and  Mr.  Mangum's  career  is  a  notable 
illustration  of  this  fact,  for  it  has  been  said  that  "by  his  farm  he 


PRIESTLEY  HINTON  MANGUM  265 

has  reflected  as  much  credit  on  the  State  as  his  uncle  did  By  his 
distinguished  services  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States."  The 
very  fields  amid  which  he  was  born  and  reared  have  been  the  scene 
of  his  exploits  as  a  successful  and  intelligent  farmer.  His  methods 
have  attracted  wide  attention,  and  his  farm  has  been  held  up  before 
the  agriculturalists  of  the  State  as  an  example.  Indeed,  one  of  the 
foremost  men  of  Mecklenburg  County,  which  has  always  been 
noted  for  its  fine  farms  and  improved  methods,  has  been  par- 
ticularly pronounced  in  calling  attention  to  the  advantages  of  the 
new  methods  introduced  and  used  by  Mr.  Mangum ;  and  residents 
of  other  parts  of  the  State  have  recommended  the  adoption  of  the 
system  practiced  on  this  model  farm.  In  an  article  entitled 
"A  Model  Farmer,"  a  judicious  and  intelligent  editor  says: 

**Mr.  Mangum's  wheat  was  just  about  ripening  and  the  fields  of  golden 
grain  presented  a  most  attractive  scene.  One  field  of  thirty  acres  would 
yield  at  least  thirty  bushels  to  the  acre.  In  the  same  field  was  clover  knee 
high.  In  another  large  field  was  a  good  stand  of  cotton,  which  last  year 
averaged  over  a  bale  to  the  acre,  there  were  several  fields  of  ctover  and 
other  grasses,  and  there  were  stacks  of  last  year's  hay  not  yet  used.  The 
cattle  looked  fat  and  sleek,  the  milch  cows  with  distended  bags,  and  many 
of  improved  breeds.  The  hogs  were  kept  in  a  clover  field  and  literally 
looked  like  they  were  'living  in  clover/  so  fat  and  healthy  were  they.  The 
barns  and  stables  were  commodious  and  conveniently  arranged,  and  large 
piles  of  barnyard  manure  showed  that  Mr.  Mangum  did  not  depend  upon 
bought  fertilizers.  We  saw  quite  a  number  of  the  most  improved  labor-sav- 
ing machines,  which  nowadays  are  necessary  for  profitable  farming." 

As  eloquently  as  these  facts  speak  of  the  successful  results  of 
Mr.  Mangum *s  farming  operations,  they  are  also  evidence  of  the 
judgment  and  intelligence  which  he  brings  to  his  aid  in  following 
his  business  as  an  agriculturalist.  Another  illustration  of  his  su- 
perior merit  is  to  be  found  in  his  progressiveness.  He  devised  and 
introduced  the  modified  terrace  and  used  them  in  his  fields,  doing 
away  entirely  with  hillside  ditches.  Under  his  system  the  land 
is  prevented  from  washing  and  it  can  be  cultivated  more  easily 
than  under  the  system  of  ditches  and  without  any  waste.  These 
terraces  are  from  one  to  two  feet  high  and  about  ten  feet  wide  and 
carry  off  the  water  in  a  gently  flowing  current.    In  constructing 


266  NORTH  CAROLINA 

them  he  utilized  his  old  hillside  ditches,  plowing  down  the  upper 
bank  several  times,  but  allowing  the  low  embankment  to  remain. 
In  front  of  this,  where  the  ditch  was,  is  a  space  of  ten  feet  on  a 
dead  level.  This  level  drain  has  a  fall  of  ij  inches  to  13  feet, 
4  inches.  The  guide  row  is  then  staked  off  and  horizontal  furrows 
run  plowing  through  this  level  drain  and  the  embankment  just  as 
they  chance  to  go.  To  run  these  terraces  a  spirit  level  set  in  a 
light  frame  13  feet,  4  inches  wide  is  used,  and  of  course  much 
judgment  is  needed  to  make  them.  Plowing  down  the  hillside 
across  the  ten-foot  level  drain  and  lightly  over  the  embankment, 
the  water  is  distributed  uniformly  and  slowly,  and  in  the  severest 
rain  will  never  overflow.  Whatever  sediment  or  soil  washes  down 
is  saved,  the  terrace  gradually  gaining  more  soil  and  becoming  the 
richest  part  of  the  field.  General  Barringer,  in  his  account  of  this 
fine  farm,  says: 

"We  saw  land  which  was  formerly  ravines  and  guUeys  presenting  a 
beautiful. and  uniform  slope.  The  terrace  system  as  devised  by  Mr.  Man- 
gum  rids  the  field  of  grass.    Every  foot  of  land  is  under  cultivation." 

His  system  has  attracted  general  attention  and  has  found  such 
favor  as  to  have  been  adopted  by  other  progressive  and  intelligent 
farmers  in  the  hillside  country  with  advantage.  If  he  who  has 
made  two  blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  one  grew  before  is  to  be 
commended,  the  advantage  to  agriculture  of  the  devices  in- 
augurated by  Mr.  Mangum  are  still  more  beneficial,  and  are  yet 
more  worthy  of  high  commendation. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Mangum,  like  his  illustrious  uncle 
and  other  members  of  his  family,  was  a  Whig  before  the  Civil 
War,  but  because  of  the  issues  evolved  since  that  period,  he  has 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  Party. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  his  walk  in  life 
has  been  consistent  with  his  religious  profession.  A  busy  man, 
earnest  and  active  in  his  agricultural  pursuits,  he  has  had  no  time 
for  sports  or  amusements,  and  he  finds  sufficient  exercise  in  horse- 
back riding  over  his  farm,  every  part  of  which  is  constantly  under 
his  supervision.  ^  ^  ^^^^ 


y 


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A 


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JAMES   ISAAC   METTS 

I  AMES  ISAAC  METTS,  a  gallant  soldier,  a 
patriotic  citizen  and  a  successful  business  man 
of  Wilmington,  was  born  at  Kinston,  March  i6, 
1842.  His  father  was  James  Engram  Metts, 
and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Ann 
Tull.  Miss  Tull  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Tull 
and  of  Eliza  Graham,  who  was  bom  at  Murfreesboro  in  1794,  be- 
ing the  daughter  of  Doctor  Chauncey  Graham,  who  came  from 
Durham,  Connecticut,  and  settled  at  Murfreesboro,  North  Caro- 
lina. Doctor  Graham  was  a  surgeon  during  the  Revolutionary  War 
in  the  New  York  troops,  hospital  department.  He  was  a  son  of 
Reverend  Doctor  Chauncey  Graham,  of  Still  Water,  Connecticut, 
whose  father  was  Doctor  John  Graham,  D.D.,  the  second  son  of 
one  of  the  Marquises  of  Montrose.  Doctor  John  Graham  was  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Glasgow  and  received  his  orders  at 
Edinburgh.  In  1718  he  emigrated  to  Boston  and  married  Abigail, 
daughter  of  the  celebrated  Doctor  Chauncey.  He  was  Minister 
at  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  and  at  Stafford,  Connecticut,  and  the 
first  Minister  in  Southbury  Society,  Woodbury,  Connecticut  A 
branch  of  this  family  of  Grahams,  descended  from  the  illustrious 
House  of  Montrose,  also  settled  in  Duplin  County,  and  a  branch  in 
Lenoir  County,  North  Carolina. 

Mr.  James  E.  Metts  was  a  son  of  Frederick  Metts,  Jr.  (whose 
father,    Frederick    Metts,    was   a    soldier    and    fought    under 


268  NORTH  CAROLINA 

General  Marion  in  the  Revolutionary  War),  and  of  Polly  Engre- 
ham.  He  was  a  farmer  and  merchant  at  Kinston  until  his  re- 
moval to  Wilmington  in  1848.  He  was  industrious  and  a  man  of 
firm  convictions,  insistent  on  fully  performing  all  his  duties  in  life ; 
unassuming,  he  was  noted  for  his  courteous  bearing  and  for  his 
sympathetic  disposition,  and  in  particular  was  he  generous  and 
liberal  toward  those  who  were  in  need.  His  inclinations  ever  led 
him  to  be  helpful  to  the  poor  and  to  be  useful  to  those  in  distress. 
His  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  six  years  of  age  on  the 
removal  to  Wilmington.  His  health  in  childhood  was  good  and 
he  was  fond  of  out-of-door  games  and  developed  into  a  strong  boy, 
particularly  skilled  in  athletic  exercises.  His  health  giving  way 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  he  was  taken  from  school  for  two  years, 
being  then  prepared  for  college.  He  was  taught  by  that  eminent 
instructor,  Mr.  George  W.  Jewett,  and  being  prepared  for  college, 
entered  the  University  in  the  Fall  of  i860.  Of  young  Metts  as  a 
schoolmate,  one  of  his  friends  writes  as  follows : 

**He  was  a  general  favorite  because  of  his  unselfishness,  his  modesty  and 
his  manliness.  He  was  quiet  and  dignified  on  becoming  occasions,  but  in 
all  the  healthful  manly  sports  of  the  day,  he  was  our  joyous  leader.  He 
scorned  that  which  was  low  and  mean  and  he  was  clean  and  honest  and 
fair  in  his  speech  and  behavior.  He  led  the  school  as  an  athlete,  and  he 
performed  such  feats  as  jumping  into  the  air  and  turning  somersaults  on 
level  ground;  walking  a  block  on  his  hands  with  heels  aloft  and  other 
amazing  things  with  the  agility  of  a  Japanese  wrestler,  and  when  he  threw 
a  clam  shell  over  the  tower  of  St.  James'  Church,  we  thought  he  had 
reached  the  acme  of  undying  fame.  I  think  he  was  one  of  Mr.  Jewett's 
models  as  a  scholar:  I  know  that  he  stood  well  in  his  classes  and  that  he 
applied  himself  diligently  to  his  studies.  He  has  the  same  characteristics 
now  that  he  had  then  and  he  bears  a  record  of  which  any  hero  might  be 
proud." 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  on  April  15,  1861,  he  joined 
as  a  private  the  Wilmington  Rifle  Guards,  of  which  Oliver  P. 
Meares  was  the  captain,  and  under  the  orders  of  Governor  Ellis 
that  company  took  possession,  along  with  the  Wilmington  Light 
Infantry,  of  Fort  Caswell,  where  it  remained  until  some  months 
later  the  Eighth  Regiment  was  formed  under  the  command  of 


JAMES  ISAAC  METTS  269 

Colonel  Radcliffe;  this  company  being  Company  I  of  that  regi- 
ment, and  Captain  Meares  being  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel.  Then 
for  some  months  Company  I  was  stationed  at  Fort  Fisher  and 
was  among  those  that  laid  the  first  foundations  of  that  famous 
fortification.  When  the  State  organized  her  ten  regiments  of  State 
troops,  the  Eighth  Volunteers  became  known  as  the  Eighteenth 
North  Carolina  Troops.  In  the  meantime  private  Metts  had  be- 
come Corporal  and  one  of  the  Color  Guard  of  the  regiment  and 
served  as  such  with  it  at  Camp  Wyatt,  near  Fort  Fisher,  and  at 
Coosawhatchie  in  South  Carolina.  On  the  expiration  of  the  twelve 
months  for  which  the  first  volunteers  had  enlisted,  he  being  then 
color  bearer  of  the  Eighteenth  Regiment,  he  was  discharged  with 
others,  but  he  re-enlisted  and  became  fifth  Sergeant  of  Company  G, 
Third  Regiment,  of  which  the  intrepid  Gaston  Meares  was  Colonel, 
the  Lieutenant-Colonel  being  the  beloved  and  efficient  Robert  H. 
Cowan,  who  was  subsequently  commissioned  Brigadier-General, 
but  on  account  of  ill  health  resigned ;  and  William  L.  DeRossett, 
afterward  so  distinguished  as  a  military  man,  the  Major.  Their 
first  baptism  of  blood  was  in  the  campaign  before  Richmond ;  and 
Sergeant  Metts  bore  himself  with  conspicuous  courage,  and  his 
coolness  was  especially  manifested  in  reforming  a  part  of  the  regi- 
ment at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  and  his  gallantry  was  displayed 
when  comnianding  a  detail,  guarding  a  causeway  in  the  Chicka- 
hominy  swamp.  At  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  he  was  among 
those  who  received  the  last  orders  of  the  lamented  Colonel  Meares, 
who  fell  on  that  field.  During  those  battles  he  became  Orderly 
Sergeant,  and  on  returning  to  camp  he  was  assigned  to  the  duty 
of  drilling  the  recruits  received  by  his  company,  and  was  compli- 
mented by  some  officers  of  the  regiment  as  being  the  best  drilled 
man  they  ever  saw. 

Although  he  had  escaped  the  deadly  peril  of  those  bloody  bat- 
tles, he,  however,  contracted  disease  in  the  peninsula  swamps  and 
for  a  time  was  separated  from  his  company.  In  the  promotions 
which  followed  the  loss  of  officers  at  Sharpsburg,  Spartanburg, 
Sergeant  Metts  became  the  senior  Second  Lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany, and  at  Wiijchester  he  was  detailed  as  Commissary  of  his  regi- 


270  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ment,  and  after  the  battle  of  Fort  Royal  he  discharged  the  duties 
of  Adjutant.  Cool,  brave  and  determined,  his  admirable  conduct  on 
every  field  attracted  the  attention  of  his  superiors,  while  at  Fred- 
ericksburg he  won  encomiums  by  his  gallantry.  Again,  however,  he 
was  a  victim  of  pneumonia,  but  he  was  able  to  join  his  regiment  in 
time  to  participate  in  the  fighting  around  Winchester,  where  his 
brigade,  under  Stewart,  did  much  toward  winning  the  victory  over 
Milroy.  At  Jordan's  Springs  his  coolness  under  fire  especially  at- 
tracted the  attention  and  admiration  of  the  privates  and  was  much 
discussed  by  them  after  the  battle.  His  efficiency  gained  for  him 
the  confidence  of  his  superiors  and  he  was  selected  to  command 
the  rear  guard  of  the  brigade  as  they  were  about  to  cross  the  Po- 
tomac. On  June  i8, 1863,  the  regiment  encamped  near  the  Dunkard 
Church  in  the  woods  on  the  battlefield  of  Sharpsburg,  where  the 
regiment  had  lost  so  heavily.  A  detail  of  men  from  the  First  and 
Third  Regiments,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Metts,  did 
honor  to  their  fallen  associates  and  fired  a  military  salute  over 
the  spot  where  they  were  buried ;  and  in  the  quietude  of  twilight 
the  First  and  Third  Regiments  with  arms  reversed  and  to  the  roll 
of  the  muffled  drum  marched  to  the  place  of  interment,  and 
Reverend  George  Patterson,  the  beloved  Chaplain  of  the  Third, 
read  the  impressive  burial  services.  "Upon  this  solemn  occasion," 
says  the  historian  of  the  3d,  "many  tears  stole  down  the  bronzed 
cheeks  of  the  old  veterans  and  all  heads  were  bowed  in  grief." 

Lieutenant  Metts  accompanied  his  regiment  to  the  vicinity  of 
Carlyle  and  then  by  a  forced  march  reached  Gettysburg  on  the 
evening  of  the  ist,  but  the  brigade  was  not  seriously  engaged 
until  the  next  evening.  Then  being  on  the  left  of  the  line  at  Gulp's 
Hill,  they  drove  the  enemy  from  their  first  defenses,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Metts,  leading  his  men  forward,  was  soon  hotly  engaged 
within  seventy-five  yards  of  their  second  line  of  breastworks. 
There  he  fell  from  a  rifle  ball  that  penetrated  his  right  breast  and 
passing  through  the  lung  inflicted  a  terrible  and  most  dangerous 
wound,  from  which  none  thought  he  would  recover,  and  from 
which  at  times  he  still  suffers.  An  eye-witness  stated  that  when 
Lieutenant  Metts  was  shot  he  was  gallantly  cheering  his  men,  his 


JAMES  ISAAC  METTS  271 

hat  in  one  hand  and  his  sword  in  the  other,  both  aloft.  In  that 
battle  the  Third  Regiment,  which  entered  with  300  guns,  lost  223 
men  and  no  prisoners.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Parsley,  Captain  E.  H. 
Armstrong  and  Lieutenant  Lyon  were  the  only  officers  who  passed 
through  the  terrible  ordeal  unhurt.  Adjutant  James  helped  his 
fallen  friend  to  the  ambulance  corps,  and  for  two  miles 
Lieutenant  Metts  was  hauled  oveF  rough  roads,  suffering  the  most 
excruciating  agony  and  weakened  by  the  loss  of  blood.  On  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Confederate  forces,  he  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  but  was  cared  for  by  kind  ladies  from  Baltimore  and 
was  conveyed  to  the  General  Camp  Hospital  and  to  the  hospital 
at  Baltimore,  where  he  was  the  recipient  of  great  kindnesses  from 
the  ladies  of  that  city ;  and  later  he  was  transferred  to  Johnson's 
Island,  Lake  Erie,  where  his  kinsman.  Colonel  Thomas  S.  Kenan, 
was  his  bunkmate  for  thirteen  months.  Their  sufferings  during 
the  Winter  were  terrible — insufficient  food,  scant  clothing,  houses 
neither  ceiled  nor  plastered,  the  mercury  at  times  20  degrees  be- 
low zero,  and  with  but  one  stove  for  sixty  prisoners.  In  August, 
1864,  although  the  Federal  authorities  had  ceased  exchanging 
prisoners,  the  Confederates  turned  loose  several  thousand  Federal 
prisoners,  and  in  view  of  that  some  of  the  Confederates  were  se- 
lected and  sent  South  in  exchange;  and  Lieutenant  Metts  was 
■chosen  as  one  of  the  most  enfeebled  and  delicate  of  the  prisoners 
for  this  exchange.  Having  been  told  by  some  of  the  doctors  that 
lie  could  not  stand  another  Winter  there,  often  as  the  winds  became 
chilly  he  would  look  over  the  fence  at  the  graves  of  his  poor  com- 
rades and  feel  that  in  a  short  while  the  boys  would  place  him 
among  them ;  but  not  long  afterward  he  found  himself  once  more 
■upon  the  streets  of  Richmond.  During  his  captivity  he  had  been 
promoted  to  Captain  of  his  company,  which  he  joined  at  Staunton 
in  December.  He  took  command  of  his  company  and  also  of  Com- 
pany E  and  served  in  Cox's  Brigade  of  Grimes*  Division  until 
detailed  as  a  Special  Inspector  on  the  staff  of  Major-General 
Grimes,  and  shared  in  all  the  hardships  and  memorable  experiences 
of  those  fateful  days.  When  Lee  surrendered,  and  the  night  before 
arms  were  to  be  stacked  at  Appomattox  by  the  remnant  of  the 


272  NORTH  CAROLINA 

heroic  army  of  Northern  Virginia,  Captain  Metts  accompanied 
a  band  from  Division  Headquarters  to  serenade  their  beloved 
leader,  General  Lee.  General  Lee  was  so  much  affected  that  he 
could  say  but  a  few  words,  but  he  gave  to  each  of  the  brave  vet- 
erans who  had  thus  sought  to  manifest  their  love  and  sympathy  a 
warm  pressure  of  his  hand  and  an  affectionate  good-by. 

On  his  return  home  from  Appomattox,  Captain  Metts,  pressed 
by  necessity,  at  once  addressed  himself  to  the  duty  of  supporting 
his  mother's  family.  He  soon  obtained  employment  as  a  clerk 
with  two  Federal  sutlers,  but  later  obtained  more  remunerative 
employment;  and  his  merits,  his  strict  attention  to  business,  his 
accuracy  and  good  habits  commended  him  to  the  business  men  of 
Wilmington  and  eventually,  after  long  and  severe  struggles,  he  was 
able  to  enter  the  field  for  himself  as  a  merchant  and  broker,  and 
he  has  met  with  gratifying  success  and  commands  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  the  business  men  of  his  community. 

On  November  ii,  1869,  Captain  Metts  was  happily  married  to 
Miss  Cornelia  F.  Cowan,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Robert  H.  Cowan, 
his  old  commander,  and  their  married  life  has  been  blessed  with 
six  children. 

Captain  Metts  is  an  earnest,  sincere  man  with  the  highest  prin- 
ciples and  most  correct  sentiments.  His  course  in  life  has  been 
consistent  with  that  devotion  to  duty  which  he  displayed  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Confederate  Army.  He  was  baptized  by 
Reverend  George  Patterson  in  the  Potomac  River  in  1863  while 
en  route  into  Pennsylvania,  and  has  been  an  humble  Christian,  ever 
faithful  to  his  profession,  and  for  many  years  a  communicant  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  and  for  several  years  he  has  been  a  vestry- 
man of  St.  James's  Church  at  Wilmington.  He  is  a  member  of 
St.  John's  Lodge  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  also  an  active  member  of  the 
Seaman's  Friend  Society,  of  which  he  has  been  the  President.  He 
has  ever  been  laborious  in  his  work  and  diligent  in  business,  and 
from  his  own  experience  he  suggests  that  young  men  can  attain 
true  *;uccess  in  life  if  they  will  follow  "honesty,  sobriety,  faithful- 
ness to  one's  self,  perseverance,  and  trust  in  God." 

Captain  Metts  has  always  remembered  the  years  of  his  life  when 


JAMES  ISAAC  METTS  273 

he  followed  the  Confederate  flag,  and  he  has  taken  great  interest 
in  whatever  affects  the  welfare  of  the  old  Confederate  veterans  or 
the  honor  and  fame  of  North  Carolina  and  of  her  troops.  On 
several  occasions  he  has  prepared  interesting  articles  concerning 
the  gallant  action  of  his  North  Carolina  associates  on  the  field  of 
battle.  Particularly  he  has  written  a  notable  paper  descriptive  of 
the  charge  at  Gettysburg,  and  also  an  equally  interesting  one  rela- 
tive to  the  important  action  of  the  Thirtieth  North  Carolina  Regi- 
ment at  Chancellorsville  when  it  turned  the  flank  of  Siegel's  Di- 
vision, and  in  it  he  corrects  some  errors  into  which  General  Rodes 
had  accidentally  fallen.  He  has  also  written  an  article  showing 
that  the  last  shot  at  Appomatto^x  was  fired  by  North  Carolinians, 
and  in  conjunction  with  Captain  Cowan  he  prepared  the  "History 
of  the  Third  Regiment"  for  the  "Regimental  Histories  of  the 
State." 

When  at  Johnson's  Island  some  of  his  comrades  formed  a  the- 
atrical troop  under  the  name  of  the  "Rebellonians,"  and 
Captain  Metts  was  one  of  the  actors.  The  delicacy  of  his  frame 
led  to  his  being  assigned  a  lady's  part.  In  the  original  melo- 
drama, in  five  acts,  "The  Battle  of  Gettysburg,"  ending  in  act  fifth 
with  "Home  Again,"  he  played  the  part  of  Mrs.  Louisa  White. 
The  concluding  farce  was  "Box  and  Cox."  On  another  occasion, 
of  which  the  programme  has  likewise  been  preserved,  he  recited 
"Bonnie  Jean,"  and  the  third  part  of  that  programme  was  "an 
original  farce  for  the  times"  written  expressly  for  the  "Rebellon- 
ians,"  entitled  "The  Intelligent  Contraband."  He  occasionally  re- 
ceives letters  from  some  old  prison-mate,  who  remembers  the  sweet 
songs  which  he  and  Lieutenant  Mayer  sang,  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Thomas  S.  Kenan  with  his  violin  or  guitar. 

Turning  from  those  episodes  of  prison  life,  on  July  19,  1897,  a 
stranger  entered  Captain  Metts's  office,  and  observing  the  name  on 
the  sign,  asked  if  he  was  any  relation  to  Lieutenant  James  Metts, 
who  was  killed  at  Gettysburg.  Giving  his  name  as  Reverend  B.  C. 
Morton  and  stating  that  he  was  the  Chaplain  of  the  Twenty-third 
Virginia  Regiment,  he  said  that  he  knew  Lieutenant  Metts,  who 
was  killed  at  Gettysburg,  and  recalled  his  thin,  emaciated,  sun- 


274  NORTH  CAROLINA 

burnt  face  as  he  lay  on  the  cot.  He  went  on  to  say  how  much  he 
was  impressed  with  his  noble  character,  and  how  he  had  offered 
up  a  prayer  for  him,  feeling  at  the  time  that  it  was  useless ;  and  he 
added  that  he  had  caused  to  be  published  an  account  of  the  death 
of  Lieutenant  Metts  at  the  time.  Captain  Metts  quietly  said :  "I 
am  the  Lieutenant  Metts  you  knew."  Mr.  Morton  at  once  arose 
from  his  chair  and  with  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears  and  with  a 
fervent  "God  bless  you,"  he  embraced  him.  There  these  two  old 
comrades  stood  and  their  emotion  found  expression  in  tears  of 
joy. 

In  the  hospital  at  Gettysburg,  Captain  Metts,  thinking  he  was 
about  to  die,  gave  his  sword  to  Doctor  Reeves,  of  Maryland,  to 
keep  the  Yankees  from  getting  it.  In  1882  Doctor  Reeves,  not 
supposing  that  Captain  Metts  had  survived,  made  inquiries,  with 
the  view  of  returning  it  to  some  one  of  his  connection,  and  was 
astonished  to  learn  that  Captain  Metts  had  not  died,  had  the  hap- 
piness of  returning  it  to  him  after  he  had  sacredly  kept  it  for  its 
brave  owner,  who  now  treasures  it  as  an  honorable  memento  of 
a  fearful  struggle. 

Captain  Metts's  interest  in  the  old  Confederates  has  been  appre- 
ciated by  his  surviving  associates,  and  in  April,  1899,  he  was  elected 
First  Vice-Commander  of  the  Cape  Fear  Camp,  254  U.C.V.,  and 
the  next  year  he  was  chosen  Commander  of  the  camp.  In  April, 
1905,  he  was  again  elected  Commander  of  Cape  Fear  Camp, 
No.  254.  In  1902  he  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  the  Third 
Brigade  U.C.V.  North  Carolina  Division,  which  honorable  post  he 
now  holds,  much  to  the  gratification  of  all  who  know  him  and  who 
admire  in  him  those  sterling  qualities  of  manhood  which  distin- 
guished him  as  a  soldier  and  which  formed  the  basis  of  his  fine 
character. 

S.  A.  Ashe, 


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BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE 


fARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE  was 
the  son  of  James  Moore,  who  was  bom  in 
Southampton  County,  Virginia,  in  1765,  and 
Sally  Lowe,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Exum  Lewis, 
of  Edgecombe  County,  North  Carolina.  He 
was  born  near  Fishing  Creek  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Halifex,  North  Carolina,  on  January  29,  1801,  the  fifth 
son  of  quite  a  large  family.  His  early  education  was  received 
under  John  Bobbitt,  who  was  principal  of  a  school  near  the  town 
of  Louisburg.  In  1817  he  entered  the  Sophomore  class  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  and  was  graduated  in  1820,  in  the 
same  class  with  W.  H.  Battle,  later  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  North  Carolina,  and  James  H.  Otey,  the  distinguished  bishop 
of  Tennessee. 

After  his  graduation  he  read  law  with  Thomas  N.  Mann,  a  very 
gifted  lawyer,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1823.  He  then  set- 
tled in  Nashville,  the  county  seat  of  Nash  County,  where  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  with  but  small  success  at- 
tending his  efforts  for  a  number  of  years.  He  said  that  his  total 
income  from  his  profession  for  seven  years  was  only  $700. 

December  2,  1828,  he  was  married  to  Louisa  Boddie  of  Nash 
County,  who  died  within  a  year  after  their  marriage.  In  1835 
he     married     her    younger     sister,     Lucy.       Soon     afterward 


276  NORTH  CAROLINA 

he  moved  to  a  farm  near  Halifax,  where  he  lived  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  removing  to  Raleigh  in  1848.  From  the  time  of  his 
removal  to  Halifax,  throughout  his  life,  he  enjoyed  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice. 

He  was  early  an  aspirant  for  political  position,  declaring  him- 
self a  candidate  for  the  House  of  Commons  in  1828,  but  he  was 
defeated.  He  had  in  1824  been  a  supporter  of  Crawford  of 
Georgia  for  the  Presidency,  who  represented  the  old  Republicans^ 
and  he  became  strongly  opposed  to  the  leveling  and,  as  he  be- 
lieved, agrarian  tendencies  of  the  Jacksonian  Democracy;  and 
upon  the  formation  of  the  Whig  Party,  he  cast  his  fortunes  with 
Henry  Clay.  In  1836,  after  his  removal  to  Halifax  County,  he  was 
chosen  representative  of  that  county  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
At  this  session  of  the  Legislature  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
work  of  the  committee  on  the  revisal  of  the  statute  law.  His  ap- 
pointment on  the  committee  was  in  recognition  of  his  knowledge 
of  law,  which  was  unusual  for  so  young  a  man.  At  this  session 
he  supported  a  bill  for  the  aid  of  the  Wilmington  and  Raleigh 
Railroad  Company,  and  in  consequence  was  strongly  opposed  in 
the  next  campaign  and  defeated  by  one  vote.  But  he  was  again 
elected  in  1840  and  for  two  successive  terms.  In  the  work  of  these 
sessions  he  took  a  prominent  part,  particularly  on  the  Judiciary 
Committee,  of  which  he  was  chairman  in  ^844.  His  course  during 
his  legislative  career  was  such  as  to  win  the  respect  and  admira- 
tion of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  acquaintance 
with  the  people  of  the  State  increased  and  at  the  same  time  they 
commenced  to  realize  his  ability  in  his  profession.  Throughout 
his  entire  legislative  career  he  was  a  strong  friend  of  internal  im- 
provements, realizing,  with  the  keen  and  practical  business  in- 
stinct which  he  applied  to  the  solution  of  every  question,  that  noth- 
ing could  so  build  up  the  State  as  adequate  transportation  facili- 
ties. In  1844  he  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Internal  Im- 
provements. In  1840,  in  the  famous  debate  on  the  question  of 
the  right  of  the  State  Legislature  to  instruct  the  United  States 
Senators,  he  took  the  ground  that  it  was  not  within  its  province, 
as  the  Senators  were  responsible  to  the  people  alone.    He  was  a 


BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE  277 

firm  believer  in  public  education,  and  in  1840  favored  the  Worth 
Common  School  Bill,  which  provided  for  public  schools  on  the 
basis  of  Federal  instead  of  white  population.  He  made  a  very 
eloquent  and  powerful  speech  in  support  of  the  bill,  and  was  of 
great  service  in  securing  its  passage.  He  also  realized  the  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  the  people  of  the  State  in  regard  to  the 
care  of  the  unfortunate,  and  in  1840,  as  spokesman  for  a  com- 
mittee, introduced  and  argued  a  bill  providing  asylums  for  the 
insane  and  for  orphans.  In  1846  he  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for 
re-election. 

In  1848  Governor  Graham  appointed  him  to  the  office  of  At- 
torney-General to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of 
Edward  Stanly,  and  the  same  year  he  was  chosen  by  the  General 
Assembly  for  the  ensuing  term. 

In  185 1  the  Legislature  made  provision  for  a  revisal  of  the 
statute  law  of  the  State.  Asa  Biggs,  B.  F.  Moore  and  R.  M. 
Saunders  were  chosen  as  a  commission  for  the  purpose. 
Mr.  Moore's  experience  in  the  Legislature  in  regard  to  the  earlier 
revisal,  as  well  as  his  wisdom  and  learning,  made  him  particularly 
valuable  as  a  commissioner,  and  it  is  not  unjust  to  the  other  com- 
missioners to  give  him  the  greatest  amount  of  credit  for  a  most 
valuable  piece  of  work,  judged  not  only  from  a  legal,  but  from 
an  historical  point  of  view.  His  was  the  guiding  hand  of  the  com- 
mission and  his  work  on  the  revisal  of  1854  alone  would  entitle 
him  to  distinction  in  the  history  of  North  Carolina. 

Learned  in  statute  law%  Mr.  Moore  was  at  his  best  in  the  com- 
mon law.  Always  a  close  student,  while  still  a  young  man  he  be- 
came a  profound  lawyer  and  the  equal  in  knowledge  and  ability  of 
any  in  the  State,  and  this  at  a  time  when  great  lawyers  were  not 
uncommon  in  North  Carolina.  He  proved  his  ability  in  many 
cases,  but  he  first  made  a  lasting  reputation  in  the  case  of  The 
State  V,  Will.*  Mr.  Moore's  argument  in  that  case  is  regarded 
as  without  a  superior  in  the  history  of  the  State.  In  this  connec- 
tion another  great  case  in  which  Mr.  Moore  took  a  prominent  part 
may  be  mentioned,  although  occurring  at  a  much  later  period  in 

♦For  this  case  see  i  Devereux  and  Battle,  North  Carolina  Reports. 


278  NORTH  CAROLINA 

his  life.  This  was  the  Johnston  Will  case,  in  many  ways  the  most 
famous  case  ever  tried  in  North  Carolina.  The  will  of  Mr.  James 
Johnston,  of  Edenton,  was  contested  by  his  relatives  on  the  ground 
that  he  was  insane  when  the  will  was  made.  The  case  was  tried 
in  Chowan  in  February,  1867,  ^^^  lasted  for  nearly  four  weeks. 
An  array  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  in  the  State  was  pres- 
ent. Among  them  may  be  mentioned  ex-Governors  Graham, 
Vance  and  Bragg  for  the  contestants,  and  B.  F.  Moore, 
Judge  R.  R.  Heath  and  Edward  Conigland  for  the  will. 
Mr.  Moore,  in  a  most  able  way,  conducted  the  cross-examination 
of  the  contestants'  witnesses,  of  whom  former  Surgeon-General 
Hammond  was  regarded  as  the  most  important,  and  whose  testi- 
mony made  a  great  impression.  Mr.  Moore,  however,  secured 
from  him  the  admission  that  he  was  receiving  a  professional  fee 
for  his  services  as  a  witness,  and  so  destroyed  the  effect  of  his 
testimony.  Mr.  Moore's  speech  in  the  case,  also,  was  very  power- 
ful. The  verdict  in  the  case  sustained  the  will,  as  did  the  decision 
of  the'  Supreme  Court  on  appeal. 

In  manner  Mr.  Moore  was  inclined  to  be  somewhat  austere, 
and  consequently  he  won  the  reputation  of  being  very  stern  and 
cold.  But  his  intimate  friends  and  his  family  knew  the  falsity 
of  any  such  estimate.  He  was  a  tender  husband  and  a  devoted 
father,  combining  with  his  affection  a  wise  forethought  for  the 
welfare  of  his  family.  In  his  social  and  business  relations  he  was 
plain  spoken  and  utterly  fearless,  if  once  he  was  convinced  that  he 
was  right.  Principle  was  always  of  first  consideration  and  im- 
portance. He  appreciated  to  the  fullest  extent  the  regard  and  ad- 
miration of  the  public,  but  never  sought  popularity  for  its  own 
sake.  He  was  never  widely  popular,  but  he  was  universally  re- 
spected and  admired  for  his  ability  and  character.  He  could  have 
been  elected  to  any  judicial  position  in  the  State,  but  would  never 
consent  to  consider  such  a  suggestion,  preferring  to  continue  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  particularly  as  he  felt  that  with  his 
large  family  he  ought  to  make  some  adequate  provision  for  the 
future.  In  religious  matters  Mr.  Moore  affiliated  with  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  though  not  himself  a  communicant  was  in- 


BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE  279 

sistent  on  the  faithful  discharge  of  its  duties  by  all  the  members 
of  his  family. 

Mr.  Moore  viewed  with  alarm  and  disgust  the  approach  of  war. 
By  education  and  from  conviction  he  was  a  believer  in  the  inde- 
structibility of  the  Union  and  never  conceded  that  the  right  of 
secession  could  exist.  In  i860  he  wrote  his  daughter :  "I  would 
not  impress  upon  you  that  the  South  has  no  cause  of  complaint. 
She  has  many,  but  if  for  such  a  cause  a  people  may  quit  their 
allegiance,  there  then  can  be  no  durable  Union."  He  refused  in 
1861  to  become  a  candidate  for  election  to  the  Convention,  but 
accepted  an  appointment  on  the  Board  of  Claims  for  which  the 
Convention  made  provision.  This  constituted  his  only  assistance 
to  the  Southern  cause.  Mr.  Moore  made  no  secret  of  his  belief 
that  the  war  was  wrong,  but  suflfered  no  injury  for  his  opinion. 
Soon  after  the  war  began  Judge  Asa  Biggs,  who  had  formerly 
been  judge  of  the  Federal  Court,  but  was  now  on  the  Confederate 
bench,  opened  court  in  Raleigh.  Mr.  Moore  had  a  great  many 
cases  and  went  into  the  court-room  at  the  opening  of  the  term. 
He  had  scarcely  taken  his  seat  when  Judge  Biggs  directed  that 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Confederate  States  should  be  admin- 
istered to  the  members  of  the  bar  present.  Mr.  Moore  gathered 
up  his  papers  and  left  the  court.  Nor  did  he  return.  He,  how- 
ever, practiced  in  the  State  courts  where  no  oath  was  required. 

When  finally  the  war  closed,  in  1865,  he  was  ready  to  do  his 
part  in  the  restoration  of  the  State  to  its  normal  relations  with  the 
United  States.  President  Johnson  indicated  that  he  would  be 
glad  to  have  Mr.  Moore,  among  others,  come  to  Washington  for 
a  consultation  in  regard  to  North  Carolina  affairs.  Accompanied 
by  ex-Governor  Swain  and  William  Eaton,  he  went  to  Washing- 
ton in  May.  An  interview  with  the  President  was  arranged  by 
John  H.  Wheeler,  and  on  May  22d  they  met  him  at  his  office.  The 
President  explained  to  them  his  plan  of  reconstruction,  showing 
them  the  amnesty  and  North  Carolina  proclamations.  Mr.  Moore 
read  both  carefully  and  then  denounced  the  plan  with  decision. 
He  especially  opposed  the  exception  of  certain  classes  from  the 
benefits  of  the   amnesty,  particularly  applying  to  those  worth 


28o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

$20,ocx),  denying  the  power  of  the  President.  He  denied  also  the 
power  of  the  President  to  appoint  a  Governor  and  through  him  to 
call  a  convention  of  the  people.  He  asked  him  where  he  got  it,  and 
upon  the  President's  replying,  "Article  IV.,  Section  4  of  the  Con- 
stitution," said,  "But  the  President  is  not  the  United  States." 
He  suggested  that  .the  State  could  take  care  of  herself  by  her  own 
citizens,  urging  that  the  speakers  of  the  two  houses  of  the  General 
Assembly  should  be  allowed  to  summon  a  special  session  of  that 
body  to  call  a  convention  of  the  people  which  should  repeal  the 
secession  ordinance  and  restore  Federal  relations.  The  President 
asked  what  could  be  done  if  the  Legislature,  after  he  had  recog- 
nized it,  should  refuse  to  make  the  changes  which  were  deemed 
necessary.  Mr.  Moore  assured  him  that  there  was  no  member  of 
that  body  that  could  not  be  led  back  into  the  Union  "by  a  silken 
thread."  Mr.  Moore  was  very  caustic  in  his  remarks  and  became 
very  fiery  as  the  discussion  went  on,  at  one  time  walking  over  to 
President  Johnson  and  shaking  his  finger  at  him  by  way  of  em- 
phasis. The  President  was  very  dignified  but  very  good-natured, 
and  took  Mr.  Moore's  excitement  in  good  part,  refusing,  however, 
to  make  any  change  in  his  plan,  which  indeed  was  the  plan 
prepared  by  President  Lincoln  and  agreed  upon  by  Lincoln's 
cabinet. 

The  next  day  the  three  gentlemen,  again  accompained  by 
John  H.  Wheeler,  went  to  see  the  President  again.  With  him 
they  found  another  delegation  from  North  Carolina,  headed  by 
William  W.  Holden,  the  editor  of  the  Standard,  who  had  been 
summoned  by  the  President  some  time  before  and  who  had  invited 
the  others  to  accompany  him.  They  were  R.  P.  Dick,  Willie  Jones, 
W.  R.  Richardson,  J.  H.  P.  Russ,  W.  S.  Mason,  Reverend  Thomas 
Skinner  and  Doctor  R.  J.  Powell. 

The  President  showed  them  his  two  proposed  proclamations, 
with  the  name  of  the  provisional  Governor  omitted  in  the  one  pro- 
viding for  the  restoration  of  North  Carolina;  and  after  the  new 
delegation  had  expressed  their  approval  of  the  plan,  he  stated  that 
he  would  appoint  as  provisional  Governor  the  person  they  might 
nominate.    He  then  left  the  room.    Mr.  Moore  was  at  once  called 


BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE  281 

to  the  chair,  but  refused  to  take  any  part  in  the  proceedings  and 
left  the  room,  accompanied  by  Messrs.  Swain  and  Eaton.  Those 
that  remained  nominated  Mr.  Holden,  who  was  appointed  by  the 
President. 

Mr.  Moore  was  elected  to  the  Convention  of  1865  as  one  of  the 
delegates  from  Wake  County  and  took  a  leading  part  in  the  de- 
bates of  the  body.  He  drew  the  ordinance,  which  was  afterward 
adopted,  declaring  that  the  session  ordinance  of  May  20,  1861,  was 
and  always  had  been  null  and  void.  That  ordinance  repealed  the 
ratifying  ordinance  of  1789,  and  declared  the  Union  existing  be- 
tween North  Carolina  and  the  other  States  severed  by  that  repeal. 
In  the  sharp  debate  on  the  matter  he  made  a  strong  speech,  declar- 
ing that  he  favored  the  ordinance  because  it  preserved  the  right 
of  citizenship  in  the  United  States  for  citizens  of  North  Carolina, 
and  that  otherwise  it  might  be  destroyed.  He  also  favored  de- 
claring vacant  all  State  offices,  opposing  the  theory  held  in  the 
decision  of  the  State  Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of  Hoke  z/.  Hen- 
derson, that  the  holder  of  an  office  had  a  right  of  property  therein, 
and  quoting  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  in  the  case  of  Butler  v.  Pennsylvania,  which  was  exactly 
to  the  contrary.  He  held  that  a  convention  of  the  people  was  not 
bound  by  any  State  Court,  but  only  by  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  and  this  view  was  agreed  to  by  a  majority  of  the  Conven- 
tion. Concerning  the  war  debt,  the  other  important  subject  of  dis- 
cussion in  this  session  of  the  Convention  Mr.  Moore  was  uncertain. 
He  thought  that  the  Convention  should  delay  final  action  until  the 
whole  matter  could  be  investigated  and  the  mind  of  the  people,  as 
well  as  of  the  delegates,  cleared  of  any  doubt.  His  upright  nature 
and  business  sense  made  him  opposed  to  repudiation  on  principle. 
But  he  took  little  part  in  the  debate  until  a  telegram,  sent  by  the 
President,  in  response  to  an  exceedingly  misleading  one  from 
Governor  Holden,  was  received  by  the  Convention,  demanding 
the  instant  repudiation  of  the  whole  war  debt.  Then  it  was  that 
Mr.  Moore's  opinion  became  to  an  extent  settled.  He  was  op- 
posed to  Federal  interference,  and  on  the  floor  of  the  Convention 
criticised  the  President  sharply  for  sending  the  message,  and  ad- 


282  NORTH  CAROLINA 

vised  that  the  Convention  should  refuse  to  accept  his  dictation. 
But  his  eflforts  were  in  vain  and  repudiation  followed. 

In  the  Worth-Holden  campaign  of  1865  Mr.  Moore,  while  not 
an  admirer  of  the  latter,  was  opposed  to  a  contest  and  refused  to 
oppose  him.  He  gives  his  reasons  for  fearing  a  division  in  the 
following  extract  from  a  letter  to  Tod  R.  Caldwell: 

"A  division,  placing  the  Unionists  on  one  side  and  the  Secessionists  on 
the  other,  will  lead  to  a  breach  made  wider  and  deeper  every  day,  until  the 
extremest  partizan  on  either  side  will  become  the  most  powerful  man  of 
his  party  and  the  most  dangerous  to  the  quiet  and  prosperity  of  the  State. 
With  such  tools  as  these,  we  shall  be  sure  to  dig  up  negro  suffrage  and 
worship  it  as  many  did  the  cotton  bag." 

Under  an  ordinance  of  the  Convention,  Governor  Holden  ap- 
pointed Moore,  W.  S.  Mason  and  R.  S.  Donnell  to  suggest  such 
changes  in  the  laws  of  the  State  as  were  made  necessary  by  the 
emancipation  of  the  slaves,  and  to  draw  up  a  code  in  reference  to 
the  freedmen.  Their  report,  written  by  Mr.  Moore,  was  an  able 
and  elaborate  discussion  of  the  whole  subject.  It  is  too  long  even 
to  give  a  summary  of  it  here,  but  it  was  the  most  liberal  Legisla- 
tion proposed  by  any  Southern  State  in  regard  to  the  freedmen. 
It  made  all  the  laws,  with  two  slight  exceptions,  apply  equally  to 
both  races,  recognized  the  citizenship  of  the  freedmen  as  dating 
from  emancipation,  and  gave  them  the  full  protection  of  the  laws 
in  the  courts.  All  the  legislation  suggested,  with  but  little  amend- 
ment, was  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1866. 
.  In  May,  1866,  the  Convention  met  in  adjourned  session.  Most 
of  the  session  was  spent  in  reconstructing  the  State  constitution. 
The  draft  proposed  to  the  Convention  embodied  most  of  the  old 
constitution  with  certain  additions  and  amendments.  Its  arrange- 
ment was  the  work  of  Mr.  Moore,  and  throughout  the  debates  he 
was  its  strongest  defender.  To  him  was  largely  due  its  adoption 
by  the  Convention.  It  was  a  much  more  compact  and  finished  in- 
strument than  the  original  constitution  and  the  amendments  were 
all  improvements.  When  submitted  to  the  people  it  was  opposed 
by  many  on  the  ground  that  the  Convention,  called  as  it  was  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  restoring 


BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE  283 

the  State  to  the  Union,  had  no  legal  power  to  alter  the  fundamental 
law  of  the  State.  Judge  Thomas  Rufiin  and  Judge  M.  E.  Manly 
were  the  most  conspicuous  and  influential  of  its  opponents, 
and  to  their  influence,  probably,  was  due  its  rejection  by  the 
people. 

Mr.  Moore  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  party  in  control  of 
affairs  in  North  Carolina  from  1866  to  1868.  Nor  was  he  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  radicals.  When  the  reconstruction  acts  were 
passed  he  believed  them  unconstitutional,  but  he  refused  to  take 
part  in  the  conservative  movement,  as  he  thought  there  should 
be  a  convention  of  the  people  to  settle  the  questions  which  were 
then  at  issue.  But  when  the  Convention  met  and  he  saw  its  char- 
acter and  tendencies,  he  was  convinced  that  but  little  good  could 
come  out  of  it ;  and  this  view  was  confirmed  when  its  debates  were 
concluded  and  the  new  constitution  completed.  Regarding  this, 
he  wrote  his  daughter  in  1868:  "It  is  in  my  view,  with  some  ex- 
ceptions, a  wretched  basis  to  secure  liberty  or  property.  The  leg- 
islative authority  rests  upon  ignorance  .without  a  single  check,  ex- 
cept senatorial  age,  against  legislative  plunder  by  exorbitant  tax- 
ation." Concerning  the  Republican  candidates  at  the  first  elec- 
tion under  it,  he  said  in  the  same  letter :  "The  Radical  Party  pur- 
poses to  fill  our  Congressional  representation  with  those  men  re- 
cently introduced  from  other  quarters  of  the  United  States,  and 
to  impose  them  upon  us  through  the  instrumentality  and  league 
of  the  ignorance  of  the  State ;  nor  have  they  stopped  there — ^they 
have  proposed  for  the  administration  of  justice  in  our  Superior 
Courts  men  whose  knowledge  of  law  is  contemptible  and  far  be- 
low the  requirements  of  a  decent  county  court  lawyer.  The  party 
has  had  no  regard,  unless  where  they  thought  they  would  increase 
their  strength,  for  the  selection  of  a  single  man  of  worth  or  in- 
telligence for  any  office,  however  high  might  be  the  qualifications 
demanded  for  it." 

Mr.  Moore's  fears  in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  new  Govern- 
ment were  confirmed  in  1869,  when  certain  justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  took  part  in  a  political  demonstration  of  the  Republican 
Party  in  Raleigh.    Mr.  Moore,  as  "Father  of  the  Bar,"  of  North 


284  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Carolina,  wrote  a  protest  which  seems  well  worthy  of  quotation 
in  full.    It  is  as  follows: 

"A  Solemn  Protest  of  the  Bar  of  North  Carolina  Against  Judicial  In- 
terference in  Political  Affairs. 

"The  undersigned,  present  or  former  members  of  the  bar  of  North 
Carolina  have  witnessed  the  late  public  demonstrations  of  political  parti- 
zanship,  by  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  with  profound 
regret  and  unfeigned  alarm  for  the  purity  of  the  future  administration  of 
the  laws  of  the  land. 

"Active  and  open  participation  in  the  strife  of  political  contests  by  any 
judge  of  the  State,  so  far  as  we  recollect,  or  tradition  or  history  has  in- 
formed us,  was  unknown  to  the  people  until  the  late  exhibitions.  To  say 
that  these  were  wholly  unexpected,  and  that  a  prediction  of  them  by  the 
wisest  among  us  would  have  been  spumed  as  incredible,  would  not  ex- 
press half  of  our  astonishment,  or  the  painful  shock  suffered  by  our  feel- 
ings when  we  saw  the  humiliating  fact  accomplished. 

"Not  only  did  we  not  anticipate  it,  but  we  thought  it  was  impossible  to 
be  done  in  our  day.  Many  of  us  have  passed  through  political  times  al- 
most as  excited  as  those  of  to-day ;  and  most  of  us  recently  through  one 
more  excited;  but  never  before  have  we  seen  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  singly  or  en  masse,  moved  from  that  becoming  propriety  so  indis- 
pensable to  secure  the  respect  of  the  people,  and  throwing  aside  the  ermine, 
rush  into  the  mad  contest  of  politics  under  the  excitement  of  drums  and 
flags.  From  the  unerring  lessons  of  the  past  we  are  assured  that  a  judge 
who  openly  and  publicly  displays  his  political  party  zeal  renders  himself 
unfit  to  hold  the  'balance  of  justice,'  and  that  whenever  an  occasion  may 
offer  to  serve  his  fellow-partizans,  he  will  yield  to  the  temptation,  and  the 
'wavering  balance*  will  shake. 

"It  is  a  natural  weakness  in  man  that  he  who  warmly  and  publicly  identi- 
fies himself  with  a  political  party  will  be  tempted  to  uphold  the  party 
which  upholds  him,  and  all  experience  teaches  us  that  a  partizan  judge  can- 
not be  safely  trusted  to  settle  the  great  questions  of  a  political  constitu- 
tion, while  he  reads  and  studies  the  book  of  its  laws  under  the  banners  of 
a  party. 

"Unwilling  that  our  silence  should  be  construed  into  an  indifference  to 
the  humiliating  spectacle  now  passing  around  us,  influenced  solely  by  a 
spirit  of  love  and  veneration  for  the  past  purity,  which  has  distinguished 
the  administration  of  the  law  in  our  State,  and  animated  by  the  hope  that 
the  voice  of  the  bar  of  North  Carolina  will  not  be  powerless  to  avert  the 
pernicious  example,  which  we  have  denounced,  and  to  repress  its  contagious 
influence,  we  have  under  a  sense  of  solemn  duty  subscribed  and  published 
this  paper." 


BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE  285 

This,  signed  by  Mr.  Moore  and  one  hundred  and  seven  other 
lawyers,  was  published  in  the  Daily  Sentinel  of  April  19,  1869. 
The  Supreme  Court,  on  June  8th  following,  ordered  that  the 
twenty-five  attorneys  who  had  signed  it  and  who  were  then  prac- 
ticing attorneys  before  the  Supreme  Court  should  be  disabled  from 
appearing  until  they  should  show  cause  to  the  contrary.  The  rule 
was  served  upon  B.  F.  Moore,  Thomas  Bragg  and  Edward  G. 
Haywood  only.  Messrs.  Battle,  Person,  Fowle,  Barnes  and  Smith 
appeared  for  them,  and  the  question  was  argued  before  the  Court. 
The  respondents  claimed  that  while  they  had  intended  to  express 
their  disapproval  of  the  action  of  certain  members  of  the  Court, 
they  had  not  intended  to  injure  it  or  bring  it  into  contempt,  their 
sole  purpose  being  to  attempt  to  preserve  the  purity  of  the  Court 
and  to  protect  the  administration  of  justice  in  the  State.  After 
this  disavowal  and  the  payment  of  costs,  the  rule  was  discharged 
and  the  respondents  excused.  Mr.  Moore's  view  of  the  matter, 
as  expressed  to  his  daughter  Lucy,  is  interesting.     He  said: 

"While  I  rejoice  that  my  course  is  sustained  by  all  the  virtuous  and 
sensible,  yet  I  weep  over  the  degradation  into  which  the  Court  has  plunged 
itself  and  the  liberties  of  freemen.  I  had  no  purpose  to  degrade  the  Court; 
God  knows  that  my  only  object  was  to  purify  and  elevate  it. 

"The  conduct  of  individuals  composing  the  Court  was  unbecoming  the 
judges,  according  to  my  judgment,  founded  upon  all  the  past  examples  of 
the  enlightened  men  who  had  adorned  our  annals.  I  saw  that  if  such  con- 
duct should  be  tolerated  and  become  common,  the  judiciary  would  sink  into 
partizan  political  corruption.  I  felt  it  my  duty  as  the  oldest  member  of  the 
bar  to  lift  my  wavering  voice  against  the  pernicious  example.  I  did  so 
as  an  act  of  duty.  I  feel  now  still  more  sensibly  that  it  was  my  duty.  I 
made  no  sacrifice  in  doing  my  duty.  The  ordeal  I  have  passed  through 
has  made  me  proud  of  my  position.  I  felt  that  I  was  called  to  account 
for  having  rebuked  a  great  vice,  for  having  discharged  fearlessly  a  high 
and  noble  duty,  and  I  was  prepared  to  come  off  more  than  conqueror.  I 
feel  no  stain  on  my  name.  There  is  none.  I  am  cheered  by  every  lawyer 
and  gentleman  I  have  heard  speak,  without  as  well  as  within  the  State. 
Every  man  of  sense  ridicules  the  opinion  of  the  Court.  It  is  without  law 
to  sustain  it,  contradictory,  despotic,  spiteful  and  malignant.  It  is  the 
common  sport  of  every  man.  I  wish  that  I  could  have  saved  the  Court 
from  the  degradation  into  which  they  have  fallen,  but  it  was  bent  on  re- 
venge and  lo!  they  have  fallen  into  their  own  pit." 


286  NORTH  CAROLINA 

When  Governor  Holden  was  impeached  Mr.  Moore  was  sought 
by  each  side  as  counsel,  but  declined  to  appear.  He  was,  however, 
in  favor  of  impeachment  and  wrote  his  daughter  the  following 
in  regard  to  it:  "Holden*s  impeachment  is  demanded  by  a  sense 
of  public  virtue  and  due  regard  to  the  honor  of  the  State.  He  is 
an  exceedingly  corrupt  man  and  ought  to  be  placed  before  the 
people  as  a  public  example  of  a  tyrant  condemned  and  punished." 

After  this  time  his  practice  was  largely  in  the  Federal  Q)urt 
In  1 87 1  his  son-in-law,  John  Catling,  became  associated  with  him 
in  his  practice. 

Mr.  Moore  died  at  Raleigh,  November  27,  1878.  In  his  will 
he  bequeathed  one  hundred  dollars  to  each  of  all  his  former  slaves 
living  in  North  Carolina ;  he  also  remembered  generously  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  the  Masonic  Orphan  Asylum,  and  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Masons.  Of  this  fraternity  he  had  been  a  loyal 
and  devoted  member  for  many  years. 

He  rests  in  Oakwood  Cemetery  in  Raleigh  with  this  fitting  in- 
scription above  him : 

BARTHOLOMEW  FIGURES  MOORE,  LL.D. 

Born  January  29,  1801 ;  Died  November  27,  1878. 
Citizen,  Lawyer,  Statesman. 

To  himself,  his  family  and  his  country  he  was  true;  to  evade  a  duty 
was  to  him  impossible;  in  the  discharge  of  duty  he  was  diligent 
Difficulty  intensified  his  effort.     Danger  rendered  his  resolu- 
tion more  firm.    A  devoted  son  of  North  Carolina.    A 
never-failing  friend  and  liberal  benefactor  of  her 
interests.       An     uncompromising     foe     to 
oppression.     A  profound  jurist  and 
a  fearless  patriot 

/.  G,  de  Roulhac  Hamilton. 


SAM 


£^< 


\<     -*-:  *-     t 


t  vo  Jj'fn  w  '1 

in  wliat  is  iv  \ 
c.'irly  life  ^v«i'.  • 
Air.  M.^rv  .::  - 
fiiu*  traits  <)\  K  ' 
w  eie  f::^;inrs  ]•/  - 

b^>rh  ar.<.I  nssocirit 
"^atc^  and  the  (  ' 
iroijij-r,  Talitnia 

1  li.-in^hers,  a  »Ia', 


'^j^^/>7^/f:^^ 


/'/// 


SAMUEL  TATE   MORGAN 


ORTH  CAROLINA  has  reason  to  regard  with 
pride  those  of  her  sons  who  have  achieved  em- 
inence through  their  military  exploits  and  in  the 
field  of  statesmanship ;  she  may  well  take  equal 
pride  in  the  career  of  those  sons  who,  entering 
on  the  activities  of  life,  have  developed  into 
great  captains  of  industry.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the 
two  men  who  are  at  the  head  of  the  largest  industrial  corpora- 
tions of  the  world,  James  B.  Duke,  of  the  American  Tobacco  Com- 
pany, and  Samuel  T.  Morgan,  of  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical 
Company,  were  born  and  reared  almost  in  the  same  neighborhood, 
in  what  is  now  Durham  County,  and  that  their  environments  in 
early  life  were  much  the  same. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  sprung  from  a  family  connection  that  inherited 
fine  traits  of  character.  His  forefathers  for  several  generations 
were  farmers  living  easy,  independent  lives,  conscious  of  an  excel- 
lent manhood,  and  enjoying  the  respect  and  esteem  of  their  neigh- 
bors and  associates.  In  his  veins  flows  the  blood  of  the  Aliens  and 
Tates  and  the  Chambers,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Morgans.  His 
mother,  Talithia  A.  Tate,  was  a  daughter  of  Mark  A.  Tate  and 
Rebecca  B.  Allen  of  Wake  County ;  and  his  father,  Samuel  David- 
son Morgan,  was  the  son  of  Stevens  Morgan,  and  his  wife,  Mary 
Chambers,  a  daughter  of  General  Chambers,  of  Person  County. 


288  NORTH  CAROLINA 

All  of  these  families  possessed  strong  characteristics  and  stood 
well  in  their  respective  communities. 

Samuel  Davidson  Morgan  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  moved 
into  North  Carolina  in  185 1,  and  settled  in  the  Fishdam  district 
of  Wake  County.  There  he  married  and  engaged  in  planting  to- 
bacco,  and  he  likewise  manufactured  tobacco.  To  him  and  his 
wife,  Talithia  Adaline  Tate,  were  born  two  sons,  William  M.,  the 
eldest,  bom  September  8,  1855 ;  and  Samuel  Tate,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  born  on  May  15,  1857. 

The  year  1865  was  one  of  general  calamity,  but  in  particular 
did  it  bring  sorrows  and  changes  to  the  Morgan  household.  At 
its  very  opening,  in  January,  when  the  people  were  mourning  the 
dire  results  of  the  war,  Samuel  Morgan,  the  father  of  the  family, 
died,  and  in  February  Mrs.  Morgan  lost  her  only  brother,  and  the 
next  month  she  was  also  bereft  of  her  father.  To  the  widowed 
mother  there  were  left  only  her  two  young  sons,  aged  nine  and 
seven  respectively.  And  at  the  very  period  of  this  accumulation 
of  sorrow,  the  retreating  Confederate  army  passed  to  the  west- 
ward, and  the  Federal  army,  to  the  terror  of  the  people,  took  pos- 
session of  the  country  in  which  she  lived — ^being  now  a  part  of 
Durham  County.  Their  presence  was  a  menace  and  a  horror,  and 
the  calamity  and  distresses  of  that  woeful  time  of  war  can  neither 
be  portrayed  nor  imagined. 

The  estates  of  both  her  husband  and  father  were  considerable, 
but  consisted  chiefly  of  land  and  slaves.  The  slaves  were  now 
freed,  and  the  negroes  moved  here  and  there  at  will,  and  labor  was 
disorganized,  and  the  land  was  practically  valueless.  Mr.  Morgan 
had  also  been  engaged  in  manufacturing  tobacco,  and  had  ac- 
cumulated quite  a  large  quantity  of  tobacco,  which  was  still  on  hand 
at  the  time  when  that  section  was  occupied  by  the  Federal  army. 
Indeed  nearly  all  the  property  of  the  family,  except  their  land  and 
negroes,  consisted  of  this  tobacco — and  it  was  all  taken  and  used 
by  Sherman's  marauding  troops.  The  superior  quality  of  the  to- 
bacco raised  in  that  region  had  gained  for  it,  even  before  the  war„ 
a  good  reputation,  and  the  distribution  of  that  accumulated  by 
Mr.  Morgan,  as  well  as  that  possessed  by  other  persons  in  the 


SAMUEL  TATE  MORGAN  289 

neighborhood  of  Durham  Station,  where  Sherman's  army  rested, 
tended  to  make  famous  the  Durham  tobacco,  which  in  later  years 
became  celebrated  far  and  wide  for  its  excellence. 

The  difficulties  that  surrounded  Mrs.  Morgan  at  that  period  of 
affliction,  trouble  and  uncertainty  were  enough  to  crush  the  spirit 
of  any  ordinary  person,  but  Mrs.  Morgan  saved  what  she  could 
from  the  wreck  and  devastation  of  those  evil  days,  and  with  a 
brave  heart  addressed  herself  to  the  duties  of  her  situation. 

Eventually  she  secured  the  services  of  an  overseer,  and  the  cul- 
tivation of  her  plantation  was  again  resumed,  but  under  circum- 
stances that  were  far  from  propitious.  Yet  she  managed  to  make 
enough  to  support  her  family  and  send  the  children  to  school.  Her 
eldest  son  was  educated  at  Bingham's  Military  School,  which  was 
then  located  at  Mebanesville ;  and  then  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  placed  first  at  Horner's  Military  School  at  Oxford,  and  after- 
ward he,  too,  went  to  Bingham's.  Both  of  these  schools  were  ex- 
cellent, not  merely  because  of  the  admirable  teaching,  but  as  well 
because  of  the  military  feature  and  discipline,  which  inculcated 
obedience  to  duty  and  developed  a  high  standard  of  moral  char- 
acter. At  the  age  of  seventeen,  however,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  was  then  well  advanced  in  his  studies,  was  withdrawn  from 
school  to  join  his  mother  at  home,  for  she  was  residing  on  her 
plantation,  in  the  midst  of  negroes,  the  only  other  white  person 
near  being  the  overseer ;  and  the  negroes  were  often  lawless  and 
had  an  undue  sense  of  their  importance,  in  those  first  years  of  their 
freedom  and  exemption  from  the  restraints  of  their  former  planta- 
tion life,  which  indeed  their  political  leaders  constantly  fostered, 
thus  greatly  contributing  to  their  demoralization. 

Being  at  home,  Mr.  Morgan  engaged  in  the  usual  work  of  farm 
life,  developing  a  robust  physique  and  an  excellent  constitution; 
and,  like  his  brother,  he  also  employed  himself  in  the  manufacture 
of  tobacco,  a  crop  that  was  raised  on  their  farm  and  generally  in 
that  region.  But  the  internal  revenue  laws  were  exacting,  and 
were  very  stringently  enforced  in  those  days,  so  that  there  was 
always  danger  of  falling  into  trouble  with  over-zealous  revenue 
agents.    And  so  Mrs.  Morgan,  apprehensive  of  trouble,  required 


290  NORTH  CAROLINA 

her  sons  to  abandon  that  business ;  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
took  up  the  mercantile  and  lumbering  business,  which  he  success- 
fully pursued  until  1879. 

Indeed,  so  successful  was  he  and  so  hopeful  of  the  future  that 
in  1875  he  became  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sally  F.  Thompson, 
the  only  daughter  of  Honorable  George  W.  Thompson  and 
Frances  Crenshaw,  his  wife,  of  Wake  County — a,  marriage  that 
was  most  fortunate  and  happy  for  him.  Of  Mr.  Thompson  the 
eminent  Doctor  Thomas  E.  Skinner,  in  an  article  published  in  the 
Biblical  Recorder,  among  other  things,  said : 

"Without  seeking  office  ever,  he  was  chosen  and  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  three  terms,  for  one  of  which  he  defeated  the  late  Governor  Charles 
Manly.  His  friends  also  placed  upon  him  the  honor  of  representing  this 
district  in  Congress;  this  he  declined,  but  recommended  the  late  General 
L.  0*B.  Branch,  who  was  elected  to  that  position.  George  Thompson's 
ambition  was  unselfish.  He  did  not  seek  honor  of  men  for  the  sake  of  the 
honor  merely,  but  only  to  be  useful  to  his  fellow  man.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  honorable  and  valuable  citizens  that  Wake  County  has  produced." 

The  association  of  Mr.  Morgan  with  his  father-in-law  resulted 
largely  to  his  benefit,  and  the  intercourse  between  them  being  close, 
he  has  ever  cherished  throughout  life  a  warm  affection  and  ad- 
miration for  him. 

In  the  Fall  of  1878  his  brother  moved  into  the  town  of  Durham, 
which  had  rapidly  grown  from  a  small  hamlet  in  1872  to  quite  a 
town,  and  the  next  year  the  subject  of  this  sketch  also  located  in 
that  town.  Durham  was  then  becoming  a  center  of  trade  for  all 
the  tobacco  region,  as  it  was  one  of  the  leading  tobacco  marts  of 
this  country.  Here  he  began  a  wholesale  trade  in  grain  and  pro* 
visions,  and  also  a  commission  business  in  connection  with  hand- 
ling fertilizers. 

After  acting  as  agent  for  several  fertilizer  companies  for  a  year 
or  two,  he  became  impressed  with  the  belief  that  fertilizers  could 
be  manufactured  in  Durham  as  well  as  elsewhere.  He  was  led 
to  consider  this  subject  because  of  the  vast  quantity  of  tobacco 
stems,  a  waste  product  of  the  tobacco  factories  of  Durham,  ready 
at  hand,  known  to  be  rich  in  potash,  and  proved  by  experience 


SAMUEL  TATE  MORGAN  291 

to  be  valuable  as  a  fertilizer,  especially  for  tobacco  crops.  His 
business  having  prospered,  and  being  able  to  embark  in  this  new 
enterprise,  he  organized  a  partnership  in  connection  with  Mr.  Eu- 
gene Morehead,  of  the  Morehead  Banking  Company,  and  his 
brother,  Mr.  William  M.  Morgan,  whose  fine  talents  and  profi- 
ciency had  led  to  his  employment  as  cashier  of  the  Morehead  Bank- 
ing Company,  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  fertilizers.  The 
firm  name  was  the  Durham  Ffsrtilizer  Company.  The  company 
prospered.  As  anticipated  by  Mr.  Morgan,  Durham  proved  an 
excellent  location  for  the  manufacture  of  fertilizers,  and  he  met 
with  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  his  products  at  a  remunerative 
price.  In  1889  Mr.  Morehead  died,  and  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved and  was  succeeded  by  a  stock  company,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $60,000,  Mr.  Morgan  being  President  of  the  company,  and  hav- 
ing the  practical  management  of  its  affairs.  With  this  increased 
capital,  under  the  intelligent  direction  of  Mr.  Morgan,  the  con- 
cern now  entered  on  a  marvelous  growth.  Gradually  the  capital 
was  increased  to  $400,000,  and  branches  were  established  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  and  at  Blacksburg,  South  Carolina ;  and  Mr.  Mor- 
gan also  organized  the  Norfolk  and  Carolina  Chemical  Company 
at  Norfolk,  erecting  there  a  large  plant,  which  was  entirely  owned 
by  the  Durham  Company.  Indeed  the  development  and  progress 
of  the  business  was  so  great  and  so  gratifying  in  its  results  as  to 
place  Mr.  Morgan  in  the  forefront  of  the  important  business  men, 
not  only  of  Durham,  but  of  the  State. 

In  the  meantime,  while  always  cautious  and  conservative,  his 
progressive  spirit  led  him  to  be  intimately  connected  with  all  the 
business  enterprises  begun  in  Durham  at  that  period.  He  was 
instrumental  in  constructing  the  first  street  railway  that  was  built 
in  Durham,  and  was  concerned  in  establishing  the  second  cotton 
mill  that  was  erected  in  the  town,  and  he  contributed  to  the  pro- 
motion of  the  various  industrial  movements  of  that  era  so  remark- 
able for  its  activities  and  so  important  in  enhancing  the  growth 
of  Durham. 

Early  in  1895  the  business  of  the  Durham  Fertilizer  Company, 
and  of  the  companies  connected  with  it,  had  expanded  to  such  an 


292  NORTH  CAROLINA 

extent  that  Mr.  Morgan  conceived  the  idea  of  organizing  into  one 
compact  corporation  all  the  fertilizer  companies  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  Virginia.  After  months  of  laborious  work  this  purpose 
was  substantially  accomplished,  the  outcome  of  it  being  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical  Company,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $5,000,400.  At  that  time  the  business  of  the 
consolidated  companies  was  very  remunerative,  and  the  output  of 
the  several  factories  approximated  100,000  tons  of  commercial  fer- 
tilizers. Now  began  a  new  era  of  progress.  Mr.  Morgan  speedily 
recognized  the  possibilities  of  the  situation,  and  was  indefatigable 
in  utilizing  every  element  that  promised  beneficial  results.  Pur- 
chases were  made  of  large  fields  of  phosphate  deposits,  and  with  a 
truly  enterprising  spirit  Mr.  Morgan  sought  to  secure  ample  sup- 
plies of  the  raw  material  for  his  factories  at  first  hand  and  at  the 
lowest  cost.  The  value  of  cotton  seed  as  the  basis  for  fertilizers 
was  early  appreciated,  and  Mr.  Morgan  obtained  for  his  company 
control  of  a  considerable  number  of  mills  erected  for  the  purpose 
of  crushing  this  product  of  the  Southern  cotton  fields. 

It  seemed  desirable,  for  the  purpose  of  distribution,  that  the 
company  should  own  a  steamship  of  its  own,  and  he  caused  to 
be  built  a  vessel  particularly  adapted  to  the  business.  The  Rich- 
mond Times,  in  mentioning  the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose, 
in  1899  said: 

**The  launching  of  the  5".  T.  Morgan  is  an  event  of  great  importance  to 
the  South,  and  in  a  sense,  an  event  of  national  interest.  Of  interest  to 
the  South,  in  that  the  steamer  is  owned  by  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical 
Company,  a  mammoth  enterprise,  the  prosperity  of  which  means  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Southland,  and  food  and  raiment  to  its  people.  Of  national 
interest,  in  that  the  5*.  T.  Morgan  is  the  first  tramp  steamer  ever  built  and 
owned  in  this  country,  and  intended  to  ply  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  It 
is  befitting  that  the  steamer  should  bear  the  name  of  the  president  of  the 
company,  Mr.  S.  T.  Morgan.  Mr.  Morgan  was  the  organizer  of  the 
Virginia-Carolina  Chemical  Company,  and  since  its  organization  in  1895 
has  been  its  president.  He  is  a  strong,  conservative,  yet  progressive  man 
of  affairs,  possessing  great  executive  ability,  and  under  his  guidance  the 
company  has  become  the  greatest  fertilizer  manufacturing  company  in  the 
world." 


SAMUEL  TATE  MORGAN  293 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  the  use  of  fertilizers  has  indeed  been 
of  great  advantage  to  the  agricultural  portions  of  this  country, 
and  especially  to  the  South.  Formerly  Peruvian  g^ano  was  the 
chief  reliance  of  the  Southern  planter,  and  when  the  supply  of  that 
valuable  commodity  was  exhausted  it  became  of  exceeding  inter- 
est that  some  suitable  substitute  should  be  furnished ;  this  has  been 
done  in  great  part  by  the  company  which  Mr.  Morgan  organized 
and  created,  and  his  work  has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the 
agriculture  of  the  South. 

He  has  been  unremitting  in  his  efforts  to  give  the  country  a 
cheap,  reliable  and  valuable  fertilizer ;  and  in  seeking  to  carry  out 
this  purpose,  Mr.  Morgan  has  visited  Europe  and  made  contracts 
and  has  purchased  large  beds  of  mineral  deposits,  and  has  made 
similar  purchases  in  Mexico. 

In  1902,  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  Prince  Henry  of  Prus- 
sia to  this  country.  The  New  York  Sun,  in  suggesting  that  the 
Prince  should  meet  at  luncheon  "One  hundred  immortals  of 
Yankee  industry,"  said : 

"The  industrial  development  of  the  United  States  would  hardly  have 
been  what  it  is  to-day  had  it  not  been  for  the  wonderful  development  of 
the  South.  It  has  seemed  to  the  Sun  that  two  men,  perhaps  more  than  any 
others,  should  stand  for  the  industrial  development  of  the  country  south  of 
Mason's  and  Dixon's  line.  One  of  them  is  Samuel  T.  Morgan,  President 
of  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical  Company.  By  a  process  which  he  de- 
vised for  the  making  of  phosphate,  Mr.  Morgan  has  turned  barren  waste 
of  the  South  into  productive  cotton  plantations,  and  thereby  has  turned 
millions  of  dollars  into  the  pockets  of  the  Southern  people." 

From  year  to  year  the  business  of  his  company  has  constantly 
been  enlarged,  until  at  length  it  has  a  paid-up  capital  of 
$46,000,000,  and  manufactures  a  million  tons  of  fertilizers, 
while  its  subsidiary  companies  do  a  business  of  over  $14,000,000 
besides,  it  being  the  greatest  industrial  organization  of  its  kind 
in  the  world,  and  by  far  the  largest  industrial  organization  of 
any  kind  in  the  South.  And  as  vast  and  important  as  it  is,  this 
company  is  virtually  the  creation  of  Mr.  Morgan;  and  from  its 
inception  it  has  been  under  his  guidance  and  direction,  for  he 


294  NORTH  CAROLINA 

has  been  the  only  President  and  head  it  has  ever  had.  His  whole 
time  and  attention  is  devoted  to  the  work  of  his  company,  and 
he  gives  but  little  thought  to  outside  matters.  Indeed,  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Virginia-Carolina  Chemical  Company  and  of  its  sub- 
sidiary companies,  the  Southern  Cotton  Oil  Company,  and  the 
Charleston  (S.  C.)  Mining  and  Manufacturing  Company,  he  is  so 
thoroughly  employed  as  to  leave  no  time  for  other  things.  Some 
of  the  largest  financial  institutions  at  the  North  have  tendered  him 
honorable  and  responsible  positions  as  a  director  in  association 
with  leading  men  of  the  Union,  but  he  has  felt  compelled  to  decline 
these  flattering  offers ;  the  only  directorships  he  has  ever  accepted, 
being  in  the  Merchants'  National  Bank  and  in  the  Virginia  Trust 
Company,  both  of  Richmond,  Virginia. 

In  1896  Mr.  Morgan's  family  moved  from  Durham  to  Rich- 
mond, where  he  could  be  more  with  them,  and  he  has  made  that 
city  his  residence ;  though  he  still  retains  his  citizenship  in  North 
Carolina,  and  his  business  is  of  such  a  nature  that  he  cannot  call 
any  particular  spot  his  home.  He  is  still  devoted  to  the  State  of 
his  birth  and  the  old  homestead  where  he  was  raised ;  and  he  owns 
to-day  every  foot  of  land  he  inherited  from  his  parents. 

His  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  three  children — Alice, 
Blanche,  Maude  Crenshaw,  and  Samuel  Tate,  Jr.,  all  of  whom  are 
living. 

Mr.  Morgan  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Democratic 
Party,  and  his  religious  affiliations  are  with  the  Baptist  Church. 
While  thoroughly  a  business  man,  he  has  always  been  extremely 
fond  of  hunting  and  finds  the  recreation  of  a  day  or  two  of  this 
sport  every  now  and  then  beneficial  as  a  tonic,  and  as  restoring 
the  waste  of  mind  and  body.  Nor  is  he  so  exclusively  devoted  to 
business  that  he  does  not  indulge  in  social  intercourse.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Westmoreland,  Commonwealth,  and  Deep  Run 
Hunt  Qubs  of  Richmond,  Virginia;  the  New  York  Yacht,  the 
Calumet  and  Manhattan  Clubs,  of  New  York ;  and  he  enjoys  his 
association  with  the  members  of  these  different  organizations. 

/.  H,  Southgate. 


Ki<    : 


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RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON 

^HE  following  sketch  of  Chief  Justice  Pearson  is 
taken  from  the  memorial  address  delivered  by 
the  late  Judge  Robert  P.  Dick  at  the  unveiling 
of  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of 
Judge  Pearson  in  Oakwood  Cemetery  at 
Raleigh,  by  the  Pearson  Memorial  Associa- 
tion. We  do  not  think  any  better  sketch  could  be  prepared,  as 
Judge  Dick  was  intimately  acquainted  with  Judge  Pearson,  hav- 
ing sat  with  him  on  the  Supreme  Court  bench  for  four  years,  and 
ever  after  remaining  his  devoted  friend. 

Much  of  the  address  is  necessarily  omitted  to  bring  this  sketch 
withm  practicable  limits,  but  we  think  sufficient  is  given  to  do  jus- 
tice to  the  great  Chief  Justice  as  well  as  his  distinguished 
eulogist. 

Richmond  Mumford  Pearson  was  born  in  June,  1805,  in 
Rowan  County,  at  Richmond  Hill,  the  paternal  home.  His  father. 
Colonel  Richmond  Pearson,  removed  from  Dinwiddie  County, Vir- 
ginia, and  settled  in  the  forks  of  the  Yadkin.  He  was  an  officer 
in  the  Revolutionary  army  and  was  distinguished  for  his  patriot- 
ism and  active  and  important  services  in  the  cause  of  American 
freedom.  By  his  first  wife.  Miss  Hayden,  he  had  four  children — 
General  Jesse  A.  Pearson,  Honorable  Joseph  Pearson,  Richmond 
Pearson  and  Elizabeth,  who  intermarried  with  the  Honorable  John 
Stokes.     His  second  wife  was  Miss  Mumford,  the  daughter  of 


296  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Robinson  Mumford,  an  Englishman.  By  this  marriage  he  had  six 
children — Sarah,  Eliza,  Charles,  Richmond  Mumford,  Giles  and 
John  Stokes  Pearson.  He  was  an  enterprising  and  successful 
planter  and  merchant  until  the  War  of  1812  wrecked  his  fortune. 

Mrs.  Pearson  was  eighth  in  descent  from  Elder  William 
Brewster,  and  she  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  force  of  character, 
and  she  exerted  much  fortitude,  energy  and  wise  discretion  in 
alleviating  the  pecuniary  misfortunes  of  her  family,  and  in  guid- 
ing, instructing  and  educating  her  children.  I  have  often  heard 
Chief  Justice  Pearson  speak  of  his  mother  in  terms  of  filial  admi- 
ration and  the  most  tender  affection. 

After  the  pecuniary  failure  of  Colonel  Pearson,  his  son,  the 
Honorable  Joseph  Pearson,  agreed  to  advance  the  money  and  su- 
perintend the  education  of  his  half-brother,  Richmond  Mumford. 
At  this  time  he  was  a  member  of  Congress,  and  he  carried  his 
young  brother  to  Washington,  placed  him  in  one  of  the  primary 
schools  of  that  city,  and  also  caused  him  to  be  baptized  by 
Archbishop  Carroll  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

On  his  return  from  Washington  young  Richmond  commenced 
his  academical  studies  in  Statesville,  in  the  school  of  John  Mushat, 
who  was  a  celebrated  teacher  at  that  time.  In  this  school  he  was 
prepared  for  college,  and  entered  the  University  at  Chapel  Hill, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1823  with  the  first  honors  of  his  class. 

While  at  college  Judge  Pearson  devoted  but  little  time  to  the 
beauties  of  poetry  and  the  elegancies  of  polite  literature.  He 
studied  diligently  the  classics  prescribed  in  the  college  curricu- 
lum, not  from  any  decided  taste  for  such  accomplishments  and 
learning,  but  influenced  by  a  sense  of  duty  and  a  generous 
ambition  which  he  realized  in  receiving  the  first  honors  of  his 
class. 

After  graduation  he  -was  offered  a  tutorship  in  the  University, 
which  he  declined,  as  he  was  desirous  of  commencing  at  once 
the  study  of  the  law.  In  early  life  he  had  determined  to  follow 
the  legal  profession,  and  in  the  bright  day-dreams  of  boyhood  he 
had  placed  the  Chief  Justiceship  of  the  Supreme  Court  as  the 
goal  of  his  ambition.    When  he  quit  the  halls  of  science  and  learn- 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  297 

ing,  crowned  with  the  laurels  of  scholastic  triumphs,  he  was  eager 
to  enter  upon  the  struggle  for  the  highest  prize  of  usefulness,  for- 
tune and  fame  to  be  won  in  the  intellectual  contests  of  the  forum. 
With  a  strong  and  fixed  purpose  of  reaching  the  goal  of  his  young 
ambition,  he  became  a  law  student  under  Judge  Henderson,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  that  noble  science  which  in  all  his  after 
life  was  the  object  of  his  admiration  and  almost  exclusive 
devotion. 

I  have  often  heard  him  speak  of  Chief.  Justice  Henderson  in 
terms  of  high  admiration  and  fond  affection.  He  remained  about 
two  years  in  the  law  school,  and  was  a  diligent  student  and 
acquired  extensive  legal  learning  with  great  accuracy. 

While  on  the  bench  with  him,  I  remember  on  one  occasion,  when 
investigating  a  legal  question  involved  in  a  case  before  the 
Supreme  Court,  I  could  obtain  no  satisfactory  information  from 
our  State  reports  and  other  books  which  I  had  examined,  he 
told  me  that  I  could  find  the  question  solved  in  a  note  in  Saun- 
ders' Reports,  about  the  middle  of  the  second  volume,  half-way 
down  on  the  left-hand  page.  From  this  direction,  in  a  short  time, 
I  found  the  information  desired.  He  was  pleased  with  the  result 
of  my  investigation,  and  said  that  he  remembered  reading  this 
note  at  the  law  school  and  had  not  seen  it  for  more  than  forty 
years. 

Judge  Pearson  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1826,  and  the  prepa- 
ration for  the  duties  of  his  profession  was  so  thorough  and  exten- 
sive that  he  did  not  have  to  undergo  the  melancholy,  period  of 
long  probation  which  many  imperfectly  prepared  young  lawyers 
have  to  endure  before  they  achieve  success.  He  had  a  good  prac- 
tice almost  from  the  beginning  of  his  career,  and  in  a  few  years 
he  stood  as  an  acknowledged  equal  among  the  distinguished  law- 
yers of  his  circuit  of  larger  experience  and  consummate  ability. 
He  was  remarkable  for  his  integrity  and  strict  attention  to  pro- 
fessional business  and  his  unwearied  diligence  in  the  preparation 
of  his  cases.  He  had  not  the  gift  of  eloquence,  of  words  and 
imagery,  but  the  clearness  and  precision  with  which  his  argu- 
ments were  made  gave  them  the  force  of  the  eloquence  of  thought 


298  NORTH  CAROLINA 

and  pure  reason.  He  was  always  faithful  to  his  clients,  and 
whether  he  lost  or  won  their  cases  they  felt  that  he  had  done  all 
that  his  intellect,  integrity,  industry  and  learning  could  accom- 
plish. After  a  successful  practice  of  the  law  for  nine  years,  he 
was  elevated  to  the  Superior  Court  bench  in  1836.  As  a  Superior 
Court  judge,  he  was  prompt  and  indefatigable  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  public  duties,  and  administered  justice  with  a  wise 
discretion  and  with  strict  integrity  and  impartiality.  He  was  on 
tlie  Superior  Court  bench  twelve  years,  and  during  that  period 
held  the  courts  several  times  in  each  county  in  the  State,  and  was 
regarded  by  all  of  his  fellow-citizens  as  an  able,  wise,  just  and 
incorruptible  judge. 

In  1848  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  as  an  Associate  Jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  here  he  entered  upon  the  field  of 
his  future  usefulness,  greatness  and  permanent  fame.  He  was 
brought  into  contact  with  Chief  Justice  Ruffin  and  Judge  Nash, 
two  as  able  and  incorruptible  judges  as  ever  presided  over  any 
judicial  tribunal,  and  he  was  soon  regarded  as  their  equal  in  abil- 
ity, integrity,  and  common-law  learning.  He  recognized  the 
exalted  merit  of  Chief  Justice  Ruffin  as  a  great  chancellor,  and  at 
once  began  to  devote  himself  to  the  study  of  the  enlightened  and 
highly  cultivated  system  of  chancery  jurisprudence.  In  a  few 
years  he  had  so  completely  mastered  the  subject  and  become  so 
much  interested  in  the  study  that  he  commenced  preparing  a 
treatise  on  equity,  and  would  have  completed  the  same  but  for 
the  publication  of  Mr.  Adams,  which  covered  the  ground  and  the 
arrangement  which  he  proposed  to  adopt. 

The  opinions  of  Judge  Pearson  while  on  the  Supreme  Court 
bench  constituted  the  monum.ent  of  his  legal  fame  and  will  endure 
forever.  In  1858  he  was  chosen  Chief  Justice  by  the  Court  to  fill 
the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Nash,  and 
he  held  this  office  until  he  was  elected  Chief  Justice  in  1868  under 
our  new  constitution,  upon  the  nomination  of  both  political  par- 
ties, and  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the  people  of  the  State. 
He  occupied  this  distinguished  position  until  his  death,  in  January, 
1878,  when  on  his  way  to  the  Supreme  Court.    He  was  on  the 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  299 

bench  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  he  died  in  the  path  of  duty 
with  his  untarnished  mantle  on. 

His  character  as  Chief  Justice  is  so  distinctly  portrayed  by  his 
conduct  and  opinions,  and  is  so  universally  understood  and  recog- 
nized, that  it  can  be  easily  delineated.  He  possessed  exalted  intel- 
lect, extensive  learning  and  many  rare  judicial  and  administrative 
qualities.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  cheerful  devotion  to  the 
important  duties  of  his  position,  the  attention  and  care  which  he 
bestowed  on  all  cases  before  the  Court,  and  his  assiduous  labor 
to  dispose  of  business  and  to  prevent  the  accumulation  of  unde- 
cided cases  on  the  docket.  He  seemed  to  feel  that  justice  delayed 
was  justice  denied,  and  at  every  term  he  went  through  the  docket 
and  gave  every  litigant  an  opportunity  of  having  his  case  deter- 
mined. In  the  hearing  of  cases  he  was  patient  and  attentive,  and 
when  he  went  into  the  conference  of  the  Court  he  was  ready  and 
willing  to  do  more  than  his  share  of  labor,  and  he  gave  his  associ- 
ates the  full  benefit  of  his  reflection  and  learning. 

When  he  was  in  good  health  I  do  not  remember  of  ever  having 
seen  him  weary  from  judicial  labor.  The  "gladsome  light  of 
jurisprudence"  seemed  to  keep  his  mind. always  fresh,  elastic  and 
vigorous.  He  never  shrank  from  any  responsibility  which  the 
duties  of  his  office  imposed  upon  him;  no  weight  of  difficulty 
seemed  long  to  oppress  him,  no  multiplicity  of  details  to  confuse 
him,  and  no  element  of  excitement  to  disturb  him.  He  seemed  to 
look  through  a  case  at  a  glance  and  understood,  as  by  intuition,  the 
facts  and  points  of  law  involved  as  well  as  the  able  and  learned 
counsel  who  had  laboriously  prepared  an  argument ;  and  by  a  few, 
simple  suggestions  he  would  bring  distinctly  to  view  the  points 
decisive  of  the  matter,  or  throw  a  flood  of  light  upon  questions 
which  before  had  been  dark  and  intricate  to  the  most  acute  legal 
minds. 

His  style  of  composition  in  his  opinions  was  not  marked  with 
the  ease  and  elegance  of  classic  culture  and  erudition,  but  he  had 
a  power  of  prompt  and  ready  expression  in  correct  and  appropri- 
ate diction  remarkable  for  perspicuity  and  precision.  He  had  a 
wonderful  faculty  in  marshaling  and  arraying  the  most  compli- 


300  NORTH  CAROLINA 

cated  facts,  and  lucidly  applying  the  legal  principles  involved.  In 
important  cases  his  opinions  are  masterly  and  luminous  judicial 
compositions,  always  exhibiting  genius  and  power;  even  making 
difficult  subjects  easy  of  comprehension  to  the  untrained  popular 
mind.  He  often  used  homely  phrases  and  illustrations  taken  from 
everyday  life,  but  they  were  always  apt  in  elucidation  of  the  mat- 
ter discussed.  In  one  of  his  opinions  he  compared  the  common 
law  to  the  bark  of  the  oak,  which  imperceptibly  expands  to  give 
room  for  the  exogenous  growth  of  the  tree,  as  it  sends  its  roots 
deeper  into  the  subsoil  and  among  the  rocks,  to  prepare  to  with« 
stand  the  storms  and  to  extend  its  branches  graceful  with  foliage, 
affording  healthful  and  refreshing  shades. 

Chief  Justice  Pearson  never  did  any  judicial  legislation  that 
caused  injustice  and  wrong  to  individuals  or  society,  and  he  never 
departed  from  the  rules  of  law  if  they  could,  by  any  reasonable 
construction  and  application,  be  made  subservient  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  substantial  equity  and  right.  He  only  modified  to  some 
extent  the  rigid  rules  of  the  common  law  by  applying  the  more 
liberal  and  enlightened  principles  of  equity  jurisprudence,  which 
declare  that  every  legal  right  should  have  an  adequate  remedy. 

Before  referring  to  the  conduct  and  opinions  of  Chief  Justice 
Pearson  during  the  late  Civil  War,  and  the  bitter  and  stormy 
political  contest  which  existed  during  the  long  Reconstruction 
period,  I  desire  to  say  something  as  to  his  political  views  and 
history.  In  1829  he  became  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature, 
and  continued  in  that  service  until  1832,  and  diligently  and  faith- 
fully performed  all  the  duties  imposed  upon  him  by  that  important 
and  responsible  position.  In  1835  he  was  a  candidate  for  a  seat 
in  Congress  against  the  Honorable  Abram  Rencher  and  the  Hon- 
orable Burton  Craig.  During  that  memorable  canvass  he  used  all 
his  energies  and  intellectual  powers  in  opposition  to  the  spirit  of 
nullification  which  was  rife  in  the  South.  He  believed  in  the 
fundamental  doctrine  of  American  independence  and  freedom — 
"that  all  political  power  is  vested  in  and  derived  from  the  people" ; 
and  that  the  American  people,  in  the  proper  exercise  of  this  right- 
ful authority,  ordained  and  established  the  Constitution  of  the 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  301 

United  States  for  the  purpose  declared  in  its  preamble ;  and  that 
the  Constitution  was  an  obligatory  covenant  of  perpetual  union, 
making  the  American  people  a  great  nation ;  and  was  not  a  loose 
compact  of  confederation  between  sovereign  and  independent 
States  that  could  be  dissolved  by  the  will  and  action  of  one  of  the 
States  of  the  Confederacy.  He  also  believed  that  the  general 
government  thus  formed  was  paramount  in  the  exercise  of  its 
delegated  powers,  and  that  Congress  could  rightfully  make  such 
laws  as  were  necessary  and  proper  to  advance  and  secure  the 
purposes  for  which  the  government  was  formed,  and  that  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  was  the  only  lawful  tribunal 
that  could  finally  determine  the  question  whether  Congress  had 
exceeded  the  limits  of  constitutional  authority. 

He  understood  and  properly  appreciated  the  true  principles  of 
State  sovereignty.  He  believed  that  the  States  should  control  the 
administration  of  local  affairs,  and  should  secure,  protect  and 
enforce  individual  and  local  rights,  and  in  all  respects  exercise  all 
the  reserve  powers  not  delegated  to  the  Federal  government.  He 
believed  that  it  was  the  wise  and  patriotic  purpose  of  the  found- 
ers of  our  general  government  to  adjust  and  mold  the  principles 
of  State  and  National  sovereignty  in  a  harmonious  system,  sus- 
taining, strengthening  and  vitalizing  each  other,  and  by  thus 
uniting  separate  and  independent  States  into  a  grand,  powerful 
and  prosperous  nation,  able  to  protect  and  secure  all  the  blessings 
of  the  most  enlightened  and  rational  human  freedom,  greatly 
contribute  to  the  advancement  of  the  highest  forms  of  Christian 
civilization. 

His  patriotism  was  not  cramped  and  dwarfed  by  the  selfishness 
of  undue  State  pride  and  the  bitterness  of  sectional  prejudices,  but 
extended  to  all  the  States  and  to  the  furthermost  limits  of  our 
great  Republic.  He  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the 
magnificent  and  beneficent  purpose  of  our  fathers  could  only  be 
accomplished  by  preserving  the  Union,  which  they  formed  by  the 
Constitution,  and  by  cultivating  and  cherishing  a  spirit  of  nation- 
ality and  brotherhood  among  the  people  of  every  section. 

In  this  canvass  he  was  defeated  by  the  Hon.  Abram  Rencher, 


302  NORTH  CAROLINA 

who  was  a  State's  Rights  Democrat,  but  not  an  advocate  of  the 
doctrines  of  nullification.  From  this  time  Judge  Pearson  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  had  no  politi- 
cal record  until  the  appearance  of  his  celebrated  letter  in  July, 
1868 — "An  appeal  to  the  calm  judgment  of  North  Carolinians," 
in  which  he  set  forth  in  clear,  forcible  and  patriotic  terms  the  facts 
and  the  reasons  which  influenced  him  to  support  General  Grant 
for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States.  He  never  had  any  skill 
in  political  management  or  electioneering  legerdemain,  and  I  have 
no  knowledge  of  his  having  ever  attended  a  party  convention  in 
his  life.  He  was  an  old-line  Whig  and  he  was  sometimes  called  a 
Federalist,  as  he  so  firmly  believed  in  the  constitutional  suprem- 
acy of  the  general  government,  was  such  a  decided  friend  of  the 
Union,  and  was  so  much  opposed  to  the  doctrines  of  secession 
and  nullification.  In  the  excited  political  contests  since  the  late 
Civil  War,  he  never  held  extreme  opinions  or  expressed  his  views 
with  offensive  violence,  and  I  feel  sure  that  he  never  suffered 
political  considerations  to  influence  his  judicial  decisions.  He  was 
not  a  partizan,  but  was  truly  conservative  and  national  in  all  his 
views,  and  earnestly  wished  that  the  bitter  sectional  political  ani- 
mosities of  the  times  might  be  soothed  and  calmed  by  wise  and 
patriotic  action  and  counsel,  and  not  be  transmitted  as  an  inheri- 
tance of  hatred  to  posterity.  He  honestly  believed  that  he  adhered 
to  the  sound,  liberal  and  patriotic  principles  of  the  old  Whig  Party, 
and  he  was  not  able  to  fully  understand  how  he  became  dis- 
severed from  his  old  Whig  friends  of  former  years. 

With  anxious  solicitude  and  fearful  apprehensions  he  wit- 
nessed the  gathering  clouds  of  civil  war,  and  the  cup  of  his  sor- 
row was  full  when  the  fearful  storm  of  fratricidal  strife  burst  in 
fury  over  the  peaceful  homes  of  the  land,  and  North  Carolina 
attempted  to  leave  the  Union  formed  by  the  thirteen  revolutionary 
sister  States,  and  her  true,  brave  and  gallant  sons  were  marching 
under  a  strange  flag  and  firing  upon  the  "Old  Flag"  that  had 
floated  in  triumph  over  the  battlefields  of  American  glory  and 
freedom  consecrated  by  the  blood  of  their  fathers.  Although  the 
proud  and  patriotic  memories  of  the  olden  time  still  thrilled  his 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  303 

heart,  and  he  lcx)ked  with  sad  forebodings  into  the  dark  and  ter- 
rible future,  he  joined  his  fortunes  with  his  native  State,  deeply 
sympathized  in  the  sorrows  and  misfortunes  of  his  people,  and 
was  proud  of  the  patient  endurance  and  heroic  deeds  of  North 
Carolina  soldiers. 

In  1863  the  fortunes  of  war  became  adverse  to  the  South — the 
Confederate  Government  strained  every  nerve  and  sinew  to  main- 
tain the  unequal  contest  against  overwhelming  odds  and  disastrous 
defeats;  conscription  laws  with  unjust  discriminations  were  passed 
by  Congress,  and  enrolling  officers  with  military  escorts  were  visit- 
ing the  humble  homes  of  the  land  to  arrest  the  unwilling  con- 
scripts, to  make  them  fight  in  a  cause  in  which  they  had  no  per- 
sonal interest  and  against  a  government  which  they  still  honored 
and  loved.  In  the  ardent  zeal  for  success,  and  under  fearful 
apprehension  of  defeat,  and  with  the  arbitrary  opinions  of  mili- 
tary supremacy,  many  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  constitu- 
tional freedom  were  disregarded — ^military  authority  became 
supreme,  and  the  civil  laws  seemed  silent  in  the  assertion  of  right, 
and  gloom  and  terror  filled  the  hearts  and  homes  of  the  people. 

At  this  time  Chief  Justice  Pearson  was  applied  to  for  writs  of 
habeas  corpus  to  protect  and  secure  the  legal  and  constitutional 
rights  of  citizens,  who  fled  to  the  civil  courts  for  refuge  from  the 
oppressions  of  military  power.  The  writs  were  issued,  and  per- 
sons unlawfully  detained  were  discharged  from  custody;  and  in 
opinions  of  great  clearness  and  force  he  maintained  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  civil  over  the  military  authority.  The  War  Depart- 
ment at  Richmond  determined  to  disregard  the  decision  of  Judge 
Pearson,  but  he  was  successful  in  the  contest,  as  he  was  sustained 
by  Governor  Vance,  who,  although  a  warm  friend  of  the  Confed- 
erate Government,  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  maintain  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  civil  law  when  declared  by  judicial  authority. 

I  will  make  no  further  reference  to  the  action  of  Chief  Justice 
Pearson  in  those  cases.  His  written  opinions  are  a  part  of  the 
legal  history  of  the  State;  his  conduct  was  passed  upon  by  the 
tribunal  of  public  sentiment,  and  his  grateful  and  admiring  coun- 
trymen in  electing  him  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  to  the  Chief 


304  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Justiceship,  in  1868,  pronounced  a  verdict  of  vindication,  approval, 
confidence  and  honor. 

Upon  entering  upon  the  duties  of  Chief  Justice  under  the  newly 
formed  State  government,  he  was  surrounded  with  many  embar- 
rassments and  was  called  upon  to  consider  and  determine  many 
cases  of  "new  impressions,"  presenting  difficult  and  perplexing 
legal  questions  growing  out  of  the  late  war  and  the  Reconstruction 
measures  which  followed.  The  abolition  of  slave  property,  which 
had  before  constituted  a  large  part  of  the  wealth  of  the  State, 
embarrassed  our  railway  improvements,  broke  our  State  banks, 
disorganized  our  labor  system  and  industrial  interests,  and  brought 
a  large  number  of  our  most  enterprising,  intelligent  and  energetic 
citizens  into  bankruptcy.  These  adverse  circumstances  gave  rise 
to  a  large  amount  of  business  in  the  courts  from  novel  sources  of 
litigation.  Numerous  remedial  statutes  and  ordinances  were 
enacted  in  legislatures  and  conventions  which  made  great  innova- 
tions and  radical  changes  in  our  old  system  of  government,  many 
of  which  were  ill-considered  and  unwise,  and  had  to  be  fre- 
quently amended  or  repealed.  The  system  of  pleading  and  pro- 
cedure in  the  courts  which  had  been  derived  from  the  common 
law,  and  had  been  shaped,  molded  and  regulated  by  the  experi- 
ence and  judicial  wisdom  of  ages,  were  suddenly  swept  away,  and 
a  new  system  of  civil  procedure  established  for  the  administration 
of  justice.  The  difficulties  and  embarrassments  which  surrounded 
the  courts  in  this  transition  and  revolutionary  period  were  greatly 
increased  by  the  bitter  partizan  contests  which  divided  and 
estranged  our  people.  The  courts  and  judges  were  the  subjects 
of  constant  denunciation  in  a  part  of  the  public  press  and  on  the 
excited  hustings.  Many  members  of  the  bar,  of  high  position  and 
influence,  who  in  former  times  had  been  strong  friends  of  the 
bench,  in  the  heat  of  party  animosity  and  under  the  exasperation 
of  defeat,  pronounced  a  judgment  of  condemnation  against  the 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  upon  the  unjust  statements  of  a 
party  press,  before  the  condemned  had  any  opportunity  of  explana- 
tion and  defense.  The  power  exercised  by  the  Court  was  founded 
in  right  reason,  well-established  precedents,  and  was  well  sus- 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  305 

tained  by  the  highest  judicial  authority  both  in  this  country  and 
in  England.  The  justices  were  not  influenced  by  any  personal 
animosity  or  prejudice,  but  acted  from  a  high  sense  of  duty  in 
sustaining  the  rights  and  dignity  of  the  Court  and  asserting  the 
majesty  of  the  Law. 

I  will  make  no  further  reference  to  this  unfortunate  conflict 
between  the  bench  and  the  bar.  I  desire  not  to  stir  the  ashes 
and  cinders  which  time,  calm  consideration  and  reconciliation  have 
spread  over  the  almost  extinct  embers  of  former  controversy. 

In  no  period  of  Chief  Justice  Pearson's  life  did  he  exhibit  a 
more  elevated  moral  courage,  and  more  exalted  wisdom  and  intel- 
lectual power,  than  in  leading  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  bar 
to  the  solution  and  determination  of  the  difficult  and  perplexing 
legal  questions  which  were  presented  for  adjudication.  His  opin- 
ions are  to  be  found  in  our  State  reports,  and  they  need  no  com- 
mendation from  me,  as  they  speak  for  themselves  to  the  calm  and 
enlightened  judgment  of  the  Bar  and  the  country. 

I  hope  that  I  do  not  violate  the  solemn  proprieties  of  this  occa- 
sion in  referring  briefly  to  the  celebrated  habeas  corpus  cases 
before  the  Chief  Justice,  which  grew  out  of  the  arrests  made  under 
the  order  of  Governor  Holden,  the  lawful  commander-in-chief  of 
the  militia  of  the  State.  I  have  distinct  impressions,  clear  con- 
victions, and  vivid  recollections  of  those  troublous  and  terrible 
times.  In  these  quiet  days  of  peace  and  restored  reason,  scenes 
and  events  sometimes  come  to  the  memory  of  us  all,  and  seem 
like  the  hideous  phantoms  of  distempered  dreams. 

I  know  well  the  thoughts,  the  feelings  and  the  motives  which 
influenced  the  action  of  the  Chief  Justice,  and  I  approved  them 
then  and  I  approve  them  now.  On  this  subject  his  fame  needs 
no  vindication  from  me,  for  with  his  own  hand  he  wrote  a  memo- 
rial to  the  Legislature  which,  under  the  advice  of  friends,  was 
not  presented,  but  it  has  been  published  since  his  death.  His 
clear,  candid  and  truthful  statement  of  facts  and  motives  in  that 
memorial  must  produce  a  complete  and  triumphant  vindication  in 
every  unprejudiced  mind.  I  hope,  however,  that  I  can  with  pro- 
priety express  my  individual  opinion.    In  those  cases  he  was  influ- 


3o6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

enced  by  sound  reason  and  patriotic  prudence,  and  by  the  concur- 
ring opinion  of  all  his  associate  justices,  sustained  by  the 
satisfactory  decision  of  Qiief  Justice  Taney  in  a  case  involving 
similar  questions  and  circumstances.  He  sincerely  believed  that 
if  he  had  issued  the  unlawful  order  requested,  he  would  have 
caused  military  insubordination,  and  brought  on  the  bloody  strife 
of  civil  war.  He  did  what  he  thought  was  right,  and  disregarded 
the  importunity  and  urgency  of  public  clamor  that  surrounded  him. 
He  felt  that  if  he  issued  that  order  he  would  violate  the  law 
which  he  had  sworn  to  support,  and  would  have  the  blood  of  his 
fellow-citizens  on  his  hand  and  on  his  soul.  In  his  conduct  he 
displayed  a  firmness,  dignity  and  lofty  courage  equal  to  that  of 
the  noble  Roman  Senator  when  assailed  by  the  barbarous  and 
infuriated  soldiers  of  Brennus. 

I  recall  with  pleasure  the  memory  of  my  association  with  Chief 
Justice  Pearson  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Before  that 
time  my  relations  with  him  were  only  of  a  professional  character, 
and  I  had  not  become  acquainted  with  his  many  private  virtues. 
I  had  regarded  him  as  somewhat  stem  and  reserved  in  his  deport- 
ment, and  was  pleased  to  find  him  so  kind,  affable,  genial  and 
generous  in  his  nature.  During  an  intimate  association  of  four 
years,  I  do  not  remember  a  single  unkind  word  that  ever  passed 
between  my  brethren  of  the  bench  in  any  of  the  conferences  of 
the  court. 

The  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  times,  to  which  I  have  here- 
tofore alluded,  often  placed  him  in  positions  of  danger  and  diffi- 
culty. When  bitterly  denounced  by  a  portion  of  the  public  press, 
assailed  by  rancorous  partizan  clamor,  threatened  with  impeach- 
ment, charged  with  gross  dereliction  of  duty  and  corruption  in 
office — when  foibles  were  magnified  into  vices,  and  even  the  affairs 
of  private  life  were  the  subject  of  caviling  criticism,  and  he  was 
deserted  by  timid  and  faithless  friends  upon  whom  he  had 
bestowed  confidence  and  kindness — ^he  bore  all  with  sublime 
patience  and  lofty  heroism,  and  remained  steadfast  and  self- 
reliant  in  the  discharge  of  his  important  public  duties.  He  stood 
like  a  grand  rock  on  the  ocean  shore,  unmoved  by  the  rage  of 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  307 

the  billows,  although  for  a  time  obscured  by  the  murky  mist  and 
covered  by  the  spiteful  spray  of  the  tempest. 

I  will  now  refer  to  some  matters  about  which  there  can  be  no 
difference  of  opinion.  Chief  Justice  Pearson  was  a  worthy  high 
priest  in  the  temple  of  Jurisprudence — ^that  noble  and  elevated 
science  that  has  received  the  admiration  and  devotion,  and  called 
forth  the  highest  and  best  efforts  of  the  most  virtuous,  enlight- 
ened and  intellectual  men  of  all  the  ages.  He  was  at  the  time  of 
his  death  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  legal  profession  of  the 
State,  and  ranked  among  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  age. 

He  was  a  peer  among  the  great  judges  of  England  and  America, 
who  have  adorned  the  bench  and  done  so  much  to  strengthen  the 
citadel  and  build  the  bastions  and  bulwarks  of  justice  and  truth, 
of  human  rights  and  human  freedom. 

I  feel  that  I  would  do  injustice  to  the  memory  of  my  friend 
were  I  not  to  make  further  reference  to  his  private  life  and 
character.  When  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  manhood,  he  felt 
that  "Life  is  real,  life  is  earnest,"  and  he  had  a  fixed  and  deter- 
mined purpose  to  achieve  success.  He  was  prudent  and  indus- 
trious in  business,  and  soon  obtained  the  means  to  repay  every 
dollar  which  his  generous  brother  had  advanced  toward  his  educa- 
tion, and  he  also  laid  the  foundation  of  the  ample  fortune  which 
he  afterward  acquired. 

When  a  young  man,  he  entered  with  much  zest  into  the  enjoy- 
ment  of  social  life,  and  was  remarkably  fond  of  the  society  of 
ladies ;  and  I  am  informed  that  this  pleasant  and  elevating  associa* 
tion  sometimes  gave  him  the  inspiration  of  the  Muses.  In  1831 
he  married  Margaret,  the  handsome  and  intelligent  daughter  of 
Colonel  John  Williams  of  Tennessee,  and  had  by  her  ten  chil- 
dren, only  three  of  whom  survived  him.  He  commenced  his  mar- 
ried life  at  Mocksville,  and  was  very  kind  and  affectionate  in  all 
his  family  relations,  and  no  place  had  for  him  such  charms  and 
attractions  as  his  home.  He  was  fond  of  cultivating  his  garden 
and  farm,  and  often  labored  with  his  own  hands.  He  was  plain 
and  simple  in  his  tastes  and  manners,  and  was  always  pleased  to 
have  his  friends  at  his  hospitable  board.    When  his  time  was  not 


3o8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

engaged  by  the  urgent  demands  of  public  duty,  he  was  fond  of 
relaxation  and  pleasures  of  society,  and  he  laid  aside  the  dignified 
manners  of  a  judge  and  became  an  affable  companion.  On  such 
occasions  he  never  exhibited  any  pride  of  genius  and  extensive 
learning,  or  assumed  any  superiority  on  account  of  his  high  official 
position,  but  with  simplicity  of  manner  and  with  unaffected  inter- 
est, talked  with  ease  and  familiarity  about  the  ordinary  topics  of 
social  intercourse.  In  such  conversations  he  expressed  his  opin- 
ions with  frankness  and  candor,  and  often  with  much  originality 
and  force.  He  was  free  from  anything  like  hypocrisy  and  deceit, 
and  on  all  subjects  his  views  were  eminently  practical,  as  he  pos- 
sessed in  a  high  degree  the  genius  of  common  sense.  He  was  not 
ostentatious  in  his  benevolences  and  charities,  but  he  always 
remembered  the  trials,  privations  and  hardships  of  his  early  life ; 
and  many  a  young  man  in  similar  condition  was  the  recipient  of 
his  favors,  and  his  quiet  beneficences  will  long  be  remembered  by 
the  humble  poor. 

Soon  after  Chief  Justice  Pearson  was  elected  a  Superior  Court 
Judge,  he  opened  a  law  school  at  Mocksville,  and  acquired  much 
reputation  as  a  legal  instructor,  and  obtained  a  number  of  students 
who  became  eminent  in  the  profession — some  as  leading  lawyers, 
some  as  Superior  Court  judges,  and  some  sat  by  his  side  on  the 
Supreme  Court  bench. 

In  1847  he  moved  to  Richmond  Hill,  in  Surry  County,  where 
he  lost  the  wife  of  his  earjy  love,  and  remained  a  widower  for 
several  years.  In  1859  ^^  married  Mrs.  Mary  Bynum,  and  this 
genial,  practical  and  highly  accomplished  wife  was  the  partner  of 
his  joys  and  sorrows,  and  presided  over  his  hospitable  home  until 
his  death. 

At  Richmond  Hill  the  law  school  was  very  prosperous.  I  have 
heard  him  say  that  he  had  instructed  more  than  a  thousand  law 
students,  who  are  scattered  throughout  the  State  and  nation.  He 
had  great  skill  in  the  art  of  communicating  knowledge,  and  by  his 
cheerful  and  paternal  manner  he  won  the  respect,  confidence  and 
affection  of  "his  boys."  He  had  no  strictly  scientific  arrangement 
or  definite  scholastic  system  of  education,  but  he  communicated 


RICHMOND  M.  PEARSON  309 

instruction  by  frequent  examination  on  the  text-books,  accom- 
panied by  familiar  conversational  lectures,  and,  like  the  great 
philosopher  of  Athens,  he  never  reduced  any  of  his  lectures  to 
writing.  He  was  fond  and  proud  of  "his  boys,"  and  did  not  con- 
fine his  instructions  to  the  class-room.  He  would  talk  to  them  on 
legal  subjects  whenever  an  opportunity  was  presented — ^at  the 
table,  on  the  path  in  the  woods  as  they  went  to  a  neighbor's  house, 
at  the  fishing  place  on  the  river,  and  in  the  Summer  afternoons 
as  they  sat  beneath  the  shades  of  the  old  oaks  on  the  hill  or  down 
by  the  spring. 

Silence  and  solitude  now  reign  at  Richmond  Hill,  for  the  "old 
man  eloquent"  is  dead ;  but  the  fame  and  influence  of  Chief  Jus- 
tice Pearson  is  more  indelibly  inscribed  upon  the  legal  and  judicial 
history  of  North  Carolina  than  the  name  carved  upon  the  granite 
shaft  that  marks  his  tomb. 

Robert  P.  Dick. 


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THOMAS  MERRITT  PITTMAN 

F  Mr.  Pittman  chooses  to  disregard  the  influ- 
ence of  his  forefathers  on  his  disposition  and 
character,  and  the  guidance  and  assistance  of 
stanch  friends  in  his  early  manhood,  he  can 
with  truth  call  himself  a  self-made  man.  He 
was  deprived  of  the  care  and  training  of  his 
parents  in  early  childhood,  and  after  fourteen  years  of  age  he 
was  entirely  dependent  upon  his  own  energy  and  labor  for  a  liveli- 
hood. He  had  only  the  meager  schooling  of  a  country  lad,  though 
fortunate  in  having  excellent  teachers,  but,  by  probity  and  assidu- 
ous application,  while  yet  a  boy  he  had  become  a  skilled  artizan. 
Under  the  stimulus  of  ambition  and  with  the  friendly  counsel  of 
kindly  lawyers  whom  he  already  reckoned  among  his  friends,  he 
turned  from  the  shop  to  the  study  of  Blackstone  and  the  intrica- 
cies of  Coke.  Before  becoming  of  age,  he  secured  his  license  to 
practice  law ;  and  he  has  now  won  for  himself  not  only  an  hon- 
orable name  and  station  in  the  most  learned  of  all  the  professions, 
but  has  grasped  the  stylus  of  Clio  and  undertaken  critical  research 
into  the  history  of  the  law  and  legal  procedure  of  the  Jews,  as 
well  as  into  the  chronicles  of  his  native  State. 

He  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  North  Carolina,  November 
24,  1857,  the  son  of  Alfred  H.  Pittman  and  Elizabeth  Alston 
Neathery.  Mr.  Pittman's  family  is  descended  from  the  brother 
of  Richard  Bennett,  a  member  of  a  company  that  landed  in  Vir- 
ginia about  1622,  who  was  a  Puritan,  or  Independent,  quite  a 


^ 


.) 

o 


•':  i'lMAN 


.         .■■.!>•  •^     ;i  his  <l.,s|.-  -it!.  ,1  Hiul 

;      -I  I '..  .:  I  "'i  • .   ..'    '    ',        .  '.      ;i    ■••   iit:;i   a-'S' ^t.i!U'<;   cf 

■  •'^•">  -'  '\\h    I    •  •■    ^  ;  '.    Tiiaril"'(Ki,   lie   can 

•".    '  ^    ••         *'  ■■         '■'    '    *       '1   a   s^"'  n^a(le  iiian.      He 

■*  ,  •  •  :•■     i  ..;••  ..T.  1   iraiuiiit:  of  liis 

'••i.rU'tM   yc?^s  of  uql'  liO 

:    '    •  •. :    ■.•\--'^y  a.i-i  iah^r  for  a  liwli- 

•     •   '.  '  ■   s'      ■•  '.  1  L'  of  a  c-.r.!i*:-y  lad,  tliou^^li 

;  ^« -1  h..  r^.  !)'it,  1a  piobity  and  a.s<ic]u- 

■       I  .    '  •  .   Ik-  i..i  i  iK'Con-t*  a  bkillcd  arti/.in. 

•..   /.:.s   (.f   a'p'  1'''   'I    aiid    Willi    tllC    frlcMKTv    COUUM.'!    Ot 

is  wlf-m  he  aha\ji\'  reckoned  amoni,^  his  frion'is,  he 

tlie  sli  ■;>  to  the  stiT.lv  c)f  lUaek-^tone  and  the  intriea- 

I't.  f<»rt:  I\coniin<^  of  a'^e,  lie  sec'ircd  his  license  to 

.  .\'si\  hr  has  \M^^\^  won  f(.r  himself  not  only  an  h'.n- 

.t'.  1  -'.''•- -n  in  the  niv).st  JcariKMl  of  all  the  ;)ro.fessicns, 

'!  tl'c  .^t  .Ins  of  C'h'o  and  nndertak<.-n  critical  research 

■■rv  of  \hc  law  and  le-.d  i-roced.nre  of  the  Jews    as 

'  '   ■/■.'-  :n>  !<-s  (,t  hi>  luU'x'c  M.ite. 

•   ■•'    '  !•.!:. Klin  C'onntv.   N'orth  (\ir(;lina,  XtAen^her 

•  t    All  red    n.    rittman   atid    Idizaheih    AKion 

-n'Mi's   familv  is  descended   from  the  brotlvr 

•  .  .'<  n'>"\''    r  of  a  comj)any  that  land(?d  in  Vir- 

^••t>   a    Pnritan,   or   lndei/<  •ul'-nt,  quite  a 


'^£^7Loix/y/^ 


-&t^A_,e(-^ 


,yCC.  U--cZZ.<^^o<----<f(--<^^ 


THOMAS  MERRITT  PITTMAN  311 

number  of  that  faith  having  settled  at  that  time  in  Virginia. 
This  Puritan  colony  was  expelled  from  Virginia  about  1648,  the 
members  going  to  Maryland,  among  them  being  Richard  Bennett 
and  his  brother.  When  Parliament  sent  a  fleet  to  reduce  the  Old 
Dominion  to  submission,  Bennett  returned  as  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners, and,  a  free  government  being  instituted  and  the  restric- 
tions of  Nonconformists  removed,  in  1652  he  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor of  that  province  by  the  House  of  Burgesses.  With  the  third 
generation,  the  male  line  of  Richard  Bennett  became  extinct,  but 
the  family  has  given  a  number  of  distinguished  men  to  the  coun- 
try, including,  it  is  said,  General  R.  E.  Lee,  the  Blands  and  Ran- 
dolphs of  Virginia,  Thomas  Atkinson,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese 
of  North  Carolina,  R.  B.  Hubbard,  Governor  of  Texas,  Dr.  I.  T. 
Tichenor  and  others. 

About  1750  Richard  Bennett  and  two  of  his  brothers,  descend- 
ants of  the  brother  of  Governor  Bennett  of  Virginia,  but  who 
had  not  returned  to  Virginia  with  the  other  Nonconformists,  left 
Maryland  and  came  to  Carolina,  Richard  locating  in  Halifax 
County,  another  brother  going  to  Anson  County,  from  whom  the 
family  of  Judge  R.  T.  Bennett  is  descended ;  and  the  third  settling 
in  Bennettsville,  South  Carolina,  from  whom  that  place  takes  its 
name.  One  of  the  sons  of  Richard  Bennett  of  Halifax,  and  great- 
grandfather of  Mr.  Pittman,was  Reverend  Philemon  Bennett.  For 
seventeen  years,  preceding  the  division  of  the  Baptist  churches, 
which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  Primitive  and  the  Mis- 
sionary Baptists,  he  was  moderator  of  the  old  Kehukee  Baptist 
Association,  and  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  churches  in 
Warren  and  Halifax  counties.  He,  as  well  as  most  of  the  other 
Bennetts,  was  a  thrifty  farmer  of  good  judgment  and  strong  char- 
acter. The  simple,  vigorous  lives  of  these  men  were  conducive 
to  longevity,  for  Philemon  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  six  of  his 
sons  attained  three  score  and  ten. 

The  Reverend  William  Lancaster,  the  uncle  of  Willie  Lancaster, 
the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Pittman's  father,  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Convention  of  July,  1788,  at  Hillsboro,  which  rejected  the  Federal 
Constitution  as  first  prepared  and  presented  to  the  States. 


312  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Mr.  Pittman's  childhood  was  passed  in  the  country,  he  alter- 
nately attending  the  brief  sessions  of  the  rural  public  school  and 
doing  a  young  boy's  work  on  a  farm.  For  a  time  he  was  under 
William  J.  King,  a  teacher  of  recognized  ability  at  Bel  ford  Acad- 
emy, Franklin  County.  He  had  the  ordinary  happy  childhood  of 
a  country  boy,  healthy  in  body  and  with  a  pure  mind,  when  on  the 
death  of  his  father,  just  after  entering  his  teens,  he  found  himself 
dependent  upon  his  own  endeavors  for  a  livelihood.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  went  to  Charlotte  and  entered  the  machine  shops 
of  the  Mecklenburg  Iron  Works  as  an  apprentice.  The  incentive 
of  his  early  training  gave  him  a  firm  resolve  to  strive  for  a  high 
goal  in  life,  and  the  apprentice  boy,  who  by  day  wielded  the 
riveting  hammer  in  the  noisy  shop,  studied  at  night  that  he  might 
ultimately  prepare  himself  to  work  in  a  broader  field.  It  is  at  this 
age  and  under  these  conditions,  when  deprived  of  the  protecting 
influence  of  a  home  life,  that  a  youth  is  liable  to  be  led  into  the 
bad  habits  with  which  the  city  boy  is  always  menaced.  Young 
Pittman*s  ambition  spurred  his  mental  vigor  and  inculcated  study 
and  application  during  hours  that  boys  usually  devote  to  amuse- 
ment. The  early  religious  training  of  his  mother  led  him  to  avoid 
many  evils,  and  strengthened  and  rounded  his  religious  and  moral 
nature  in  that  formative  period  which  creates  or  destroys  a  man's 
character.  The  pleasant  address  and  sociability  of  the  young  ap- 
prentice gained  him  many  friends,  who  came  to  admire  him  for  his 
sturdy  and  independent  character,  and  with  true  kindness  and  un- 
selfishness delighted  in  offering  him  assistance.  These  kindly 
offices,  often  simple,  but  from  the  heart,  pure  and  unaffected,  which 
were  performed  for  him,  Mr.  Pittman  now  recalls  with  the  keen- 
est pleasure,  and  feels  that  if  in  any  way  he  has  really  missed  life's 
goal,  the  friends  he  made  with  each  successive  step  were  more 
than  worth  the  struggle.  He  followed  under  the  guidance  of  these 
friends  courses  of  reading  and  study,  which  developed  his  mental 
faculties,  as  his  manual  work  gave  him  physical  strength  and  en- 
durance, a  clear  eye,  a  confident  hand,  accuracy  and  self-reliance. 
In  1876,  before  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  the  apprenticeship 
was  finished,  and  after  serving  for  a  short  time  as  foreman  in  the 


THOMAS  MERRITT  PITTMAN  313 

machine  shops  of  the  Carolina  Agricultural  Works  of  Charlotte, 
he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Guion  and  Flemming  of  the  same  city. 
This  firm  was  composed  of  the  late  Colonel  Haywood  W.  Guion 
and  Major  W.  W.  Flemming  (the  latter  of  whom  young  Pittman 
already  numbered  among  his  friends),  and  it  was  in  accord  with 
the  advice  and  suggestion  of  Major  Flemming,  seconded  by  his 
own  inclination,  that  he  undertook  the  study  of  law.  Major  Flem- 
ming personally  directed  his  professional  course  and  imposed  a 
severe  curriculum,  including  such  great  old  authors  as  Coke  upon 
Littleton,  Saunders  on  Uses  and  Trusts,  Feame  on  Remainders 
and  Chitty  on  Pleadings,  while  not  neglecting  to  drill  the  ambitious 
student  in  modem  law  and  the  existing  practice.  In  1878,  when 
yet  under  age,  Mr.  Pittman  secured  his  license,  and  in  June  of 
the  same  year  he  opened  an  office  in  Charlotte  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  and  the  next  year  he  was  appointed  Examiner  in 
Equity  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  for  the  Western  Dis- 
trict of  North  Carolina.  In  1885  he  removed  to  Henderson,  Vance 
County,  North  Carolina.  He  became  attorney  for  the  bank  of 
Henderson  and  for  Vance  County,  and  in  1901  for  the  town  of 
Henderson,  which  last  position  he  still  holds.  While  Mr.  Pittman 
has  not  sought  business  as  a  criminal  lawyer,  he  has  appeared  in 
about  thirty  capital  cases,  and  so  well  has  he  worked  for  his  clients 
that  not  one  of  them  has  ever  yet  been  hanged.  In  his  legal  prac- 
tice, he  has  had  the  following  partnerships :  with  Captain  Robert 
D.  Graham,  as  Graham  and  Pittman ;  with  W.  B.  Shaw,  Esquire, 
as  Pittman  and  Shaw;  with  J.  H.  Kerr,  Jr.,  of  Warrenton,  as 
Pittman  and  Kerr.  This  last  partnership  is  for  local  court  busi- 
ness only,  and  yet  exists.  Besides  having  extensive  corporation 
practice,  Mr.  Pittman  has  served  as  attorney  in  many  special  cases 
for  various  counties  and  municipalities,  and  enjoys  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  practice.  In  spite  of  the  demands  of  his  profession 
Mr.  Pittman  finds  time  in  some  measure  to  put  in  practice  his  con- 
ceptions of  the  ideal  citizen,  and  while  not  a  politician  and  never  a 
candidate  for  a  political  office,  he  has  when  called  on  made  cam- 
paign speeches,  believing  that  every  man  owes  society  such  public 
service  as  lies  within  his  power.  A  leading  member  of  the  Mission- 


314  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ary  Baptist  Church,  he  has  been  prominently  identified  with  many 
of  its  organizations — vice-president  of  the  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion of  North  Carolina;  clerk  of  the  Charlotte  Baptist  Church; 
clerk  and  deacon  of  the  Henderson  Baptist  Church ;  superintendent 
of  Sunday-schools  in  Charlotte  and  Henderson;  for  a  number  of 
years  vice-president  of  the  American  Baptist  Historical  Society; 
member  of  the  Publication  Committee  of  the  North  Carolina 
Baptist  Historical  Society;  honorary  member  of  Wake  Forest 
Alumni  Association,  and  of  the  Philomathesian  and  Astrotekton 
Literary  societies  of  Wake  Forest  College,  and  of  the  Baptist 
Female  University,  respectively. 

Mr.  Pittman  has  published  some  important  historical  and  bio- 
graphical monographs  and  papers,  and  delivered  some  notable 
addresses  dealing  with  historical  subjects,  most  of  which  have 
been  printed. 

The  most  important  of  these  are :  Nathaniel  Macon,  an  oration 
delivered  July  4,  1902,  at  Guilford  battlegrounds,  and  subsequently 
published ;  John  Porter  and  the  Carey  Rebellion,  an  address  before 
the  Summer  school  at  the  North  Carolina  College  of  Agriculture 
and  Mechanic  Arts,  August,  1903,  published;  North  Carolina 
from  1832-42  (the  Julian  S.  Carr  Prize  Essay),  recently  ordered 
printed  by  the  North  Carolina  Historical  Commission ;  the  Revo- 
lutionary Congresses  of  North  Carolina,  a  North  Carolina  book- 
let, October,  1902;  the  preparation  for  Baptist  Work  in  North 
Carolina,  an  address  before  the  North  Carolina  Baptist  Conven- 
tion, memorial  service,  at  Greenville^  North  Carolina,  December  11, 
1898,  subsequently  published  in  January,  1900,  in  the  Baptist  His- 
torical papers ;  the  Great  Sanhedrin  of  the  Jews  and  its  Criminal 
Procedure,  an  address  delivered  at  Wake  Forest  College  and  other 
places  (this  is  a  study  from  a  legal  point  of  view  of  this  Council 
when  it  resolved  itself  into  a  judicial  court  for  criminal  trials)  ; 
Reverend  J.  D.  Huffham,  D.D.,  a  sketch  of  his  life,  published; 
the  Trent  Affair,  published ;  Lemuel  Burkitt,  published  in  Wake 
Forest  Student;  John  Penn,  published  in  North  Carolina  Booklet ; 
sketches  of  Governor  W.  W.  Holden  and  others  in  "Biographical 
Historv  of  North  Carolina." 


THOMAS  MERRITT  PITTMAN  315 

Besides  these  he  has  delivered  many  lectures  and  addresses,  and 
published  numerous  newspaper  articles.  In  1902  he  drafted  the 
resolutions  of  the  Vance  County  Democratic  Convention,  which 
the  Biblical  Recorder  mentions  as  a  "notable  utterance,"  and  the 
Raleigh  Post  declared  "sufficient  for  the  State  platform." 

Mr.  Pittman  constantly  has  some  new  work  in  view,  being  al- 
ways a  busy  man  and  looking  to  the  future,  and  just  now  he  is 
making  a  study  of  municipal  organization  and  government,  with 
a  view  to  submitting  to  the  towns  of  North  Carolina  plans  look- 
ing to  greater  symmetry  and  uniformity  in  our  municipal  system. 
His  deep  and  unflagging  interest  in  the  history  of  this  State  is  well 
known.  A  collector  of  documents  which  bear  on  the  different 
phases  of  the  State's  settlement,  rise  and  development,  he  has 
gathered  with  the  zeal  of  a  virtuoso  a  large  number  of  rare  and 
valuable  papers,  pamphlets  and  manuscripts  affecting  the  State's 
past,  and  much  of  the  time  that  he  can  spare  from  his  professional 
duties  is  devoted  to  the  patriotic  service  of  studying  and  elucidat- 
ing the  State's  history  in  its  various  aspects.  To  more  thoroughly 
foster  his  interest  in  his  historical  work  he  is  affiliated  with  a  num- 
ber of  historical  societies,  among  them  the  North  Carolina  Baptist 
Historical  Society,  the  American  Baptist  Historical  Society  and 
the  Alabama  Historical  Society. 

In  his  literary  writings  he  is  concise  and  perspicuous,  and  has 
elegance  of  diction  and  clearness  of  expression  that  make  a  choice 
historical  style.  He  attributes  its  derivation  to  a  close  study  of  the 
Bible  for  many  years,  and  of  the  Spectator  with  its  dainty  refine- 
ment of  speech,  which  was  the  one  book  that  when  a  boy  he  was 
fond  of  reading  again  and  again. 

As  he  has  derived  his  literary  tastes  and  drawn  his  style  from 
both  of  these  books,  so  he  has  molded  his  life  on  the  former,  and 
has  been  influenced  by  the  moral  philosophy  of  the  latter.  He  feels 
that  life's  goal,  no  matter  how  lofty,  is  not  worth  the  struggle  un- 
less the  means  are  as  worthy  and  honorable  as  the  prize ;  and  that 
a  worthy  life  and  true  manhood  itself  mark  success. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


THOMAS   POLK 


fHOMAS  POLK,  of  Mecklenburg,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  figures  of  the  State  during  the 
Revolutionary  period,  was  a  distinguished 
member  of  a  distinguished  family.  He  was 
the  fourth  son  of  William  and  Priscilla  (Rob- 
erts) Polk,  and  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  which  place  his  father  had  moved  shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage. William  Polk  was  the  only  son  of  John  and  Joanna 
(Knox)  Polk  and  the  grandson  of  Robert  Polk  (or  Pollock),  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  America.  Robert  Pollock  (or  Polk)  was 
a  member  of  the  parliamentary  army  against  Charles  First  and 
an  active  participant  in  the  campaigns  of  Cromwell.  He  mar- 
ried Magdalen,  widow  of  Colonel  Porter,  his  companion  in  arms, 
and  daughter  of  Colonel  Tasker,  his  regimental  commander,  who 
was  at  that  time  Chancellor  of  Ireland,  of  Bloomfield  Castle  on 
the  river  Dale.  By  this  marriage  he  acquired  the  estate  of  "Mon- 
ing"  or  "Moneen  Hill"  in  the  barony  of  Ross,  County  of  Donegal, 
Ireland.  Robert  Pollock  took  ship  at  Londonderry  in  1659  and 
settled  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland.  After  his  arrival  in 
America  he  changed  the  spelling  of  his  surname  to  Polk.  His 
estate,  "Polk's  Folly,"  lies  south  of  Fauquier  Sound,  opposite 
the  mouths  of  the  Nanticoke  and  Wicomico  Rivers,  and  is  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  family.  Robert  Pollock  was  the  son  of 
John  Pollock,  a  gentleman  of  some  estate  in  Lanarkshire,  not 


THOMAS  POLK  317 


far  from  the  cathedral  city  of  Glasgow,  during  the  reign  of  James 
Sixth,  of  Scotland,  and  First  of  England.  John  Pollock  was  an 
uncompromising  Presbyterian,  who  left  his  native  land  to  join 
the  new  Colony  of  Protestants  which  had  been  formed  in  the 
North  of  Ireland.  The  Pollock  coat  of  arms  bears  the  device 
of  a  wild  boar  pierced  with  an  arrow,  and  the  motto  "Audaciter 
et  strenue." 

In  1753  Thomas  Polk  set  out  to  seek  his  fortune  with  his 
brothers  Ezekiel  (grandfather  of  President  James  K.  Polk)  and 
Charles.  He  finally  reached  the  county  of  Mecklenburg  and  set- 
tled upon  Sugar  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Catawba  River,  in  a  neigh- 
borhood made  up  of  Scotch-Irish  stock  to  which  he  also  belonged. 
There  in  1755  he  married  Susan  Spratt,  who  had  removed  with 
her  father  two  years  before,  and  whose  bright  eyes,  tradition  says, 
were  largely  instrumental  in  attracting  young  Polk  from  his  old 
home.  By  industry  and  enterprise  he  soon  acquired  a  large  tract 
of  land  and  a  sufficient  fortune  to  enable  him  to  rear  and  educate 
the  nine  children  bom  of  this  marriage. 

During  the  year  1767  the  town  of  Charlotte  was  chartered  by 
Chapter  1 1  of  the  Private  Laws  enacted  by  the  Colonial  Assem- 
bly. Thomas  Polk  is  named  as  one  of  the  commissioners  and 
town  treasurer.  The  original  tract  of  land  upon  which  the  city 
now  stands  contained  360  acres  and  the  conveyance  of  it  was 
made  on  the  15th  of  January,  1767,  to  Thomas  Polk  and  others, 
trustees  and  directors — the  consideration  being  "90  pounds  lawful 
money."  In  1769  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Provincial  As- 
sembly. One  of  his  acts  was  to  secure  the  charter  of  Queen's 
College  (or  Museum)  (Chapter  3,  Laws  of  1770).  This  insti- 
tution was  established  in  Charlotte  and  afforded  the  young  men 
of  that  section  better  educational  advantages  than  were  possessed 
by  most  of  the  early  settlers  of  other  sections.  Polk  was  made  a 
trustee  of  this  institution  when  it  was  chartered  as  Queen's  Col- 
lege, and  when  it  was  re-chartered  in  1777  (Chapter  20,  Private 
Laws,  April  session)  as  Liberty  Hall  Academy. 

In  1 771,  as  captain  of  a  company  under  command  of  Colonel 
Moses  Alexander,  he  marched  troops  from  Charlotte  to  Salisbury, 


3i8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

to  act  against  the  Regulators.  During  this  year  he  was  also 
engaged  as  surveyor  in  establishing  the  dividing  line  between 
North  and  South  Carolina  by  appointment  of  the  Governor. 

During  the  period  immediately  preceding  the  Revolution  com- 
mittees of  safety  were  organized  in  the  counties,  and  these  met 
frequently  to  discuss  the  issues  of  the  day.  Charlotte  became  the 
central  point  in  Mecklenburg  for  these  assemblages.  Polk  was 
the  presiding  officer  and  upon  his  call  the  committees  met.  The 
meeting  on  May  19,  1775,  has  become  famous.  Upon  this  date 
the  interest  in  the  meeting  was  so  great  that,  in  addition  to  two 
men  from  each  captain's  district  called  by  Polk  to  meet,  there 
were  vast  crowds  from  every  section  of  the  county.  After  due 
deliberation  resolutions  were  adopted  expressing  the  attitude  of 
the  patriots  of  that  section.  This  instrument  is  known  as  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  was  read  from  the 
court  house  steps  on  May  20th,  by  Thomas  Polk,  who  was  recog- 
nized as  a  master  spirit  in  the  movement. 

On  May  31,  1775,  an  independent  government  was  formally 
established,  and  the  resolutions  adopted  that  day  were  published 
on  the  i6th  of  June,  in  Charleston,  and  the  same  day  at  New-Bern. 
Colonel  Cogdell,  the  chairman  at  New-Bern,  sent  them  on  to  Cas- 
well, then  at  Philadelphia,  and  the  paper  was  preserved  by  his 
colleague,  Joseph  Hewes.  In  transmitting  them  Cogdell  said: 
"You  will  observe  the  Mecklenburg  Resolves  exceed  all  other 
committees  or  the  Congress  itself.  I  send  you  the  paper  wherein 
they  are  inserted." 

Johnston  in  referring  to  them  in  a  letter  to  Joseph  Hewes  said ; 

"Tom  Polk,  too,  is  raising  a  very  pretty  spirit  in  the  back  country  (see 
the  newspapers).  He  has  gone  a  little  farther  than  I  would  choose  to 
have  gone,  but  perhaps  no  further  than  necessary." 

Thus  it  appears  that  Johnston,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
revolution,  ascribed  the  action  at  Mecklenburg  to  Colonel  Polk, 
and  doubtless  Colonel  Polk  was  the  leading  spirit  there.  What- 
ever he  considered  necessary  to  do,  he  had  done. 

It  being  thought  that  two  lawyers,  Dunn  and  Boote,  of  Salis- 


THOMAS  POLK  319 


bury  were  in  communication  with  Governor  Martin,  in  a  confer- 
ence by  Colonel  Martin,  Sam  Spencer,  Colonel  Polk  and  others, 
it  was  planned  to  seize  them  and  send  them  to  South  Carolina. 
This  was  the  first  of  August,  1775.  When  the  prisoners  were 
brought  to  Charlotte,  Colonel  Polk  received  them,  and  at  the  head 
of  60  horsemen  conveyed  them  to  Camden,  where  they  were  kept 
in  prison  more  than  a  year. 

During  1775  the  Provincial  Congress  assembled  at  Hillsboro; 
at  its  session  on  September  9th  Thomas  Polk  was  appointed 
colonel  of  the  second  battalion  of  militia  raised  in  the  district  of 
Salisbury.  Shortly  afterwards  in  command  of  900  men  he 
marched  to  South  Carolina  to  assist  in  suppressing  the  Tories. 

On  April  22,  1776,  the  Provincial  Congress  which  met  at  Hali- 
fax appointed  Thomas  Polk  colonel  of  the  fourth  additional  regi- 
ment of  Continentals.  Under  command  of  General  Francis  Nash 
he  marched  to  the  North  to  join  the  army  of  Washington.  Here 
he  served  for  two  years,  and  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bran- 
dywine  and  the  hardships  of  Valley  Forge.  He  was  not  a  par- 
ticipant in  the  battle  of  Germantown,  as  he  was  in  charge  of  the 
escort  detailed  to  guard  and  convey  the  heavy  baggage  to  a  place 
of  safety  at  Bethlehem.  Among  the  impedimenta  was  the  famous 
''Liberty  Bell."  On  June  26,  1778,  he  tendered  his  resignation 
to  Washington. 

On  September  15,  1780,  a  month  after  the  battle  of  Camden, 
he  was  appointed  by  the  Board  of  War  convened  at  Hillsboro, 
*' Superintendent  Commissary  of  the  District  of  Salisbury." 
In  securing  supplies  he  pledged  his  own  credit.  He  was  com- 
mended by  the  board  for  his  zeal  and  ability  in  the  performance 
of  those  duties.  While  engaged  in  this  work  Comwallis  entered 
Charlotte  (September  26,  1780),  and  selected  for  his  headquar- 
ters the  residence  of  Colonel  Polk,  which  was  called  the  "White 
House" — it  being  the  only  painted  edifice  in  the  town.  Com- 
wallis seized  and  confiscated  all  the  property  of  his  involuntary 
host  that  he  could  find.  Hearing  of  the  battle  of  King's  Moun- 
tain, Polk  wrote,  "In  a  few  days  we  will  be  in  Charlotte,  and  I 
will  take  possession  of  my  house  and  his  lordship  take  the  woods." 


320  NORTH  CAROLINA 

After  the  fall  of  General  Davidson  at  Cowan's  Ford,  February 
I,  1 78 1,  the  field  officers  on  March  5th  petitioned  General  Greene 
to  appoint  Polk  to  take  command  of  the  forces  of  the  district, 
and  he  was  accordingly  commissioned  a  brigadier-general.  But 
the  Assembly  would  not  confirm  the  appointment  with  this  rank, 
but  instead  commissioned  Polk  as  "colonel  commandant/'  Polk 
declined  this  commission,  but  patriotically  performed  the  duties 
pending  the  appointment  of  a  successor.  Colonel  Matthew  Locke 
was  appointed  on  May  15,  1781,  and  Polk  retired  from  further 
military  service.  After  the  evacuation  by  the  British  and  the  con- 
clusion of  hostilities,  he  returned  to  his  residence  in  Charlotte, 
where  he  lived  to  an  honored  old  age,  surrounded  by  his  sons, 
whom  he  reared  to  an  honorable  and  self-reliant  manhood.  The 
census  of  1790  shows  that  he  owned  47  slaves — ^the  largest  pos- 
session of  any  one  in  Mecklenburg  or  the  western  section  of  the 
State  at  that  time.  He  died  in  1793,  and  was  buried  in  the  grave- 
yard of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Charlotte. 

Joseph  Seawell  Jones  says  that  Thomas  Polk  was  the  first  to 
maintain  the  necessity  of  dissolving  the  political  ties  which  bound 
the  Colonies  to  Great  Britain.  His  feelings  and  opinions  were  de- 
cided; his  expression  of  them  was  frank  and  courageous.  Out 
of  these  feelings  grew  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration,  in  the  fram- 
ing of  which  Thomas  Polk  was  a  leading  spirit.  While  others 
were  striving  to  devise  expedients  to  avert  a  war  into  which  they 
were  blindly  drifting,  Thomas  Polk  was  preparing  the  stem  and 
not  easily  governed  people  of  his  neighborhood  for  the  clash  of 
arms  which  he  saw  to  be  inevitable.  His  posterity  have  borne  with 
distinction  the  honored  name  transmitted  to  them. 

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WILLIAM  LOUIS  POTEAT 


^ILLIAM  LOUIS  POTEAT,  President  of 
Wake  Forest  College,  was  born  in  Caswell 
County,  North  Carolina,  October  20,  1856.  His 
father,  Captain  James  Poteat,  was  a  son  of 
John  Miles  Poteat,  a  planter  of  Caswell  County, 
of  Huguenot  descent.  Captain  Poteat,  himself 
also  a  planter,  was  a  man  of  abounding  energy  and  common-sense, 
rigidly  honest,  and  most  affable  in  his  disposition.  His  countymen 
honored  him  by  making  him  a  captain  of  militia,  and  his  denomina- 
tion by  making  him  a  trustee  of  Wake  Forest  College.  He  kept 
open  house  in  his  large  country  home  in  Caswell.  The  mother  of 
Professor  Poteat,  Julia  A.  (McNeill)  Poteat,  is  a  descendant  of 
Annie  Talbot,  who  was  brought  from  Scotland  to  this  country  by 
gypsies  and  became  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Poteat's  grandfather, 
John  McNeill.  The  influence  of  Mrs.  Poteat  upon  the  intellectual, 
as  well  as  the  moral  and  spiritual,  life  of  her  son  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  estimate. 

The  atmosphere  of  the  home  in  which  he  first  saw  the  light  and 
in  which  he  passed  his  boyhood  was  generated  from  elements 
identical  with  those  named  in  his  definition  of  happiness  by  the 
father  of  Robert  E.  Lee  in  the  last  letter  he  ever  wrote : 

"What  is  happiness?  Hoc  opus,  hie  labor  est?  Peace  of  mind  based 
on  piety  to  Almighty  God,  unconscious  innocence  of  conduct,  with  good- 
will to  man ;  health  of  body,  health  of  mind,  with  prosperity  in  our  voca- 


322  NORTH  CAROLINA 

tion;  a  sweet,  affectionate  wife;  mens  sena  in  cor  pore  sano;  children 
devoted  to  truth,  honor,  right,  and  utility,  with  love  and  respect  to  their 
parents;  and  faithful  and  warm-hearted  friends,  in  a  country  politically 
and  religiously  free." 

Reared  in  such  a  home,  though  not  required  to  perform  manual 
labor  tasks,  as  his  father  was  a  large  slave-holder,  he  grew  up 
strong  and  healthy,  his  special  tastes  and  interests  being  those  of 
the  country  boy  in  exceptionally  good  circumstances. 

During  his  first  school  years  he  was  under  the  instruction  of 
a  governess.  Afterward  he  attended  the  village  academy  at  Yan- 
ceyville,  taught  by  Miss  Lowndes. 

In  1872  he  entered  Wake  Forest  College,  and  graduated  in  1877 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Later  he  completed  the 
course  for  the  Master's  degree,  which  was  conferred  upon  him  in 
1889.  In  June,  1905,  while  on  a  visit  to  that  institution  to  deliver, 
by  invitation,  the  annual  commencement  address,  he  received 
from  Baylor  Universit}%  Waco,  Texas,  the  honorary  degree  of 
LL.D. 

While  at  college  no  marked  preference  for  one  branch  of  studies 
over  another  was  indicated,  a  uniformly  high  grade  of  scholar- 
ship being  maintained  by  him  in  all  the  departments.  His  pro- 
ficiency in  Latin  and  Greek  was  not  excelled  by  that  achieved  in 
other  studies,  and  the  habit  of  accuracy,  which  his  careful  and 
sympathetic  study  of  classic  literature  helped  to  develop,  must 
have  had  much  to  do  with  the  formation  of  that  style  that 
so  graces  the  productions  of  his  pen.  As  a  writer  and  speaker 
abilities  were  displayed  that  pointed  to  literature  as  the  province 
in  which  he  would  probably  find  his  vocation.  However,  in  these 
early  essays  of  the  pen  and  platform  there  was  potential  a  temper 
of  mind  friendly  to  the  spirit  of  science,  and  needing  only  favoring 
conditions  to  stimulate  and  unfold  it  into  a  vital  force. 

It  may  be  said  of  him  at  this  period,  as  was  said  of  another: 
"He  was  a  most  exemplary  student  in  every  respect.  He  was 
never  behindtime  at  his  studies ;  never  failed  in  a  single  recitation ; 
was  perfectly  observant  of  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  institu- 
tion; was  gentlemanly,  unobtrusive  and  respectful  in  all  his  de- 


WILLIAM  LOUIS  POTEAT  323 

portment  to  teachers  and  fellow-students.  His  specialty  was  finish* 
ing  up.  He  imparted  a  finish  and  a  neatness  as  he  proceeded  to 
everything  he  undertook." 

He  had  begun  to  read  law,  when,  a  year  after  his  graduation,  the 
trustees  of  Wake  Forest  College  elected  him  a  tutor.  His  ac- 
ceptance of  this  position  determined  his  life  work.  In  1880  he 
became  Assistant  Professor  of  Natural  Science;  and  in  1883  was 
placed  in  full  charge  of  the  Chair  of  Natural  History,  now  known 
as  the  Chair  of  Biology. 

In  the  pursuit  of  science  there  has  been  on  his  part  from  the 
beginning  a  questful  openness  of  soul  to  Nature  that  has  made 
her  fain  to  yield  him  the  meed  of  many  a  clue  to  her  manifold 
mazes.  At  the  same  time  he  has  been  toward  himself  in  study  and 
field  and  laboratory  a  most  exacting  task-master.  He  has  com- 
muned in  spirit  also  with  the  great  masters  and  has  come  to 
know  their  voice. 

With  such  an  attitude  to  his  calling,  opportunities  that  might 
have  been  worthless  to  the  less  alert  have  been  golden  ones  to 
him.  Thus  it  would  be  difficult  to  value  too  highly  the  beneficial 
results  of  a  brief  course  that  he  attended  in  the  University  of  Ber- 
lin, and  of  a  course  in  the  Marine  Biological  Laboratory,  Woods 
Holl,  Massachusetts,  not  to  speak  of  repeated  opportunities 
that  have  come  to  him  of  intercourse  and  work  with  men  of 
science. 

His  well-earned  reputation  as  a  teacher  of  science  is  due  in  no 
small  degree  to  the  fact  that  he  understands  how  to  make  its  very 
rudiments  interesting,  bringing  his  students  face  to  face  with 
Nature  in  such  a  way  as  to  stimulate  them  to  a  sympathetic  study 
of  the  common  facts  of  nature,  and  leading  them  to  an  insight  into 
the  dominant  methods  of  science.  He  has  the  faculty  of  making 
them  realize  the  appositeness  to  this  realm  of  the  Biblical  formula : 
"Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and 
it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  By  tactful  questioning  and  by  the 
turn  given  to  laboratory  work  and  field  excursions  he  makes  them 
feel  that  they  are  conducting  for  themselves  investigations  for  the 
discovery  of  truth.    The  success  with  which  he  has  directed  his 


324  NORTH  CAROLINA 

department  is  attested  by  the  quality  of  work  done  by  men  whom 
he  has  trained,  some  of  whom  are  taking  high  rank  in  the  walks 
of  science. 

While  his  special  work  has  been  that  of  a  teacher  he  has  won 
enviable  distinction  also  as  an  essayist  and  public  lecturer.  Much 
of  his  effort  in  these  fields  has  been  devoted  to  subjects  pertain- 
ing exclusively  to  his  department.  Those  of  his  lectures,  however, 
that  have  attracted  most  attention  have  been  upon  topics  relating 
to  science  and  religion.  Though  the  subjects  discussed  have  been 
at  times  of  an  abstruse  nature,  his  manner,  his  facility  of  illustra- 
tion, and  his  felicitous  diction  have  succeeded  in  attracting  and  in- 
teresting all  classes  of  hearers.  Invitations  to  appear  before  in- 
tellectual and  critical  audiences  have  not  interfered  with  the  ac- 
ceptance of  invitations  to  speak  to  assemblies  of  illiterate  colored 
people ;  nor  have  these  been  infrequently  extended. 

The  following  in  The  Examiner  of  New  York,  April  5,  1900, 
is  from  the  pen  of  Doctor  A.  T.  Robertson,  Professor  of  New 
Testament  Exegesis  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Sem- 
inary, Louisville,  Kentucky: 

"Professor  W.  L.  Poteat,  of  Wake  Forest  College,  delivered  the  Gay 
lectures  on  March  20th-23d,  before  large  and  enthusiastic  audiences.  His 
theme  was  'Laboratory  and  Pulpit.'  The  first  lecture  discussed  *The 
Biological  Revolution,*  the  second  treated  'The  New  Appeal/  while  the 
third  considered  'The  Unknown  Tongue.'  There  was  a  vigor,  a  grasp, 
a  sweep,  a  point,  a  devoutness  and  a  charm  of  diction  in  the  lectures  that 
made  them  notable  indeed.  Professor  Poteat  is  a  scientist  of  large  attain- 
ments and  an  earnest  Qiristian.  It  was  inspiring  to  hear  him  proclaim 
the  death  of  materialism  among  men  of  science,  and  the  tremendous  wit- 
ness science  bears  to  God  and  the  spiritual  world.  Evolution  may  or  may 
not  be  true,  but  it  is  certainly  possible  for  an  evolutionist  to  be  a  sincere 
Christian.  Professor  Poteat  claims  that  Christian  evolution  will  serve  to 
win  back  men  of  science  to  Christianity.  His  lectures  were  an  intellectual 
and  a  spiritual  stimulus,  and  will  always  be  remembered  here.  Mr.  Theo- 
dore Harris,  a  prominent  Baptist  layman  of  the  city,  was  so  impressed  by 
the  lectures  of  Professor  Poteat  that  he  gave  $1000  for  the  purchase  of 
scientific  books  for  the  Seminary  library.  Five  hundred  dollars  will  be 
used  at  once,  and  the  interest  on  the  remainder  will  be  used  annually 
to  purchase  new  scientific  works." 


WILLIAM  LOUIS  POTEAT  325 

From  April  26,  1897,  to  May  i,  1899,  Professor  Poteat  was  a 
member  of  the  North  Carolina  State  Board  of  Examiners. 

In  March,  1900,  he  was  lecturer  on  the  Gay  Foundation  before 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Kentucky ; 
and  in  May,  1905,  he  was  lecturer  on  the  Brooks  Foundation  be- 
fore Hamilton  Theological  Seminary,  Colgate  University,  Hamil- 
ton, New  York.  Both  of  these  courses  of  lectures  were  on 
Science  and  Religion. 

He  was  president  of  the  North  Carolina  Teachers'  Assembly  in 
1897;  first  president  of  the  North  Carolina  Academy  of  Science 
in  1902,  and  president  of  the  North  Carolina  Literary  and  Histori- 
cal Association  in  1903. 

In  1901  he  published  ^'Laboratory  and  Pulpit :  The  Relations  of 
Biology  to  the  Preacher  and  his  Message*'  (Phfladelphia:  The 
Griffith  and  Rowland  Press). 

He  has  also  published  in  scientific  journals  investigations  in 
the  groups  of  spiders,  microscopic  plants,  and  microscopic  ani- 
mals. 

Being  professionally  occupied  with  the  biological  sciences,  which 
are  largely  responsible  for  the  intellectual  revolution  of  our  period. 
Professor  Poteat's  reading  has  drifted  strongly  into  the  region 
where  science  and  religion  meet.  For  refreshment  and  enrichment 
his  reliance  is  upon  the  great  poets  and  the  great  masters  of  prose. 
Current  literature  does  not  attract  him.  A  habit  that  has  yielded 
him  a  rich  harvest  is  that  which  he  has  long  maintained  of  setting 
down  in  note-books  thoughts  and  abstracts  on  any  subject  of 
special  study,  so  that  when  the  time  to  write  came  all  the  collected 
material  was  available,  the  utility  of  the  plan  being  greatly  en- 
hanced by  his  devoting  to  each  subject  one  or  more  note-books. 

For  relaxation  and  amusement  he  has  relied  largely  on  contact 
with  nature  in  field  and  wood,  with  observation  (not  too  strenu- 
ous) of  what  goes  on  there.  Some  slight  sketches  of  such  experi- 
ences have  been  published  in  the  Wake  Forest  Student  (February, 
1898,  and  May,  1899). 

In  politics  he  has  always  voted  with  the  Democratic  Party  ex- 
cept when  its  nominees  have  appeared  to  him  in  character  or 


326  NORTH  CAROLINA 

opinions  to  be  unworthy  of  his  support.  While  he  has  never 
changed  his  party  allegiance,  he  would  not  consider  it  discredit- 
able to  do  so  upon  sufficient  grounds. 

His  religious  life  has  not  been  without  jar.  While  from  his 
childhood  he  has  been  under  the  influence  of  Christian  convictions, 
the  serious  part  of  the  voyage  of  life  was  entered  upon  in  a 
period  of  brewing  storm,  a  time  of  threatened  conflict  between 
science  and  religion,  and  it  was  then  that  convictions  touching  the 
testimony  of  the  new  science  began  to  lay  hold  on  him.  This  to 
many  was  the  sad  augury  of  spiritual  shipwreck.  But  the  tranquil 
sea  and  anchorage  were  reached  by  him  not  only  with  faith  intact^ 
but  with  a  contagious  optimism  concerning  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Professor  Poteat  is  one  of  the  most  active  and  useful  members  of 
the  Wake  Forest  Baptist  Church.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
been  the  leader  of  its  music,  one  of  his  endowments  being  his 
musical  talent. 

He  was  married  June  24,  1881,  to  Miss  Emma  J.  Purefoy  of 
Wake  Forest,  the  gifted  and  accomplished  daughter  of  Rev.  A.  F. 
and  Mrs.  A.  V.  Purefoy,  and  granddaughter  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Purefoy, 
whose  labors  and  sacrifices  in  behalf  of  Wake  Forest  College  are 
a  part  of  its  history.  Three  children  have  been  bom  to  them,  all 
now  living. 

Professor  Poteat  is  one  of  a  noteworthy  family  trio,  the  other 
two  being  a  brother,  Doctor  E.  M.  Poteat,  President  of  Furman 
University,  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  and  a  sister.  Miss  Ida 
Poteat,  head  of  the  Department  of  Art  in  the  Baptist  University 
for  Women,  Raleigh,  North  Carolina. 

On  June  10,  1905,  Professor  Poteat  was  elected  President  of 
Wake  Forest  College  and  was  inducted  into  this  responsible  posi- 
tion with  appropriate  ceremonies  on  December  7,  1905. 

W.  B.  RoyalL 


\ 


JOSEPH    HYDE   PRATT 


[OSEPH  HYDE  PRATT  was  born  on  February 
3,  1870,  in  Hartford,  Connecticut.  His  father, 
James  Church  Pratt,  went  from  New  England 
while  still  a  boy  to  join  his  uncle  in  Louisiana, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood  as  a  Southern 
planter.  In  the  Civil  War  his  uncle  served  as 
brigadier-general,  and  he  himself  as  captain  of  a  Louisiana 
regiment  of  the  Confederate  army.  Later  he  returned  to 
New  England,  the  home  of  his  fathers,  to  succeed  to  the  Pratt 
inheritance  and  to  settle  down  as  a  merchant.  So,  the  father,  like 
the  son,  by  living  in  two  such  distinct  sections  of  the  country, 
benefited  as  well  by  the  strict,  stem  business  life  of  New  Eng- 
land as  by  the  easy,  gentle,  polished  life  of  the  Southern  planter. 
James  Pratt  married  Jennie  A.  Peck,  a  descendant  of  the  Pecks 
and  of  the  Hydes  of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  Both  the  Pratts  and 
the  Pecks  were  descendants  of  the  original  Puritan  settlers  of 
New  England.  This  combination  of  Puritan  and  Cavalier  in- 
fluences made  itself  evident  in  the  character  of  the  son  and,  to- 
gether with  the  spiritual  influence  of  his  mother,  gave  him  qualities 
which  insured  for  his  future  career  indefatigable  industry  and 
keen  business  insight  no  less  than  the  polish  and  refinement  that 
go  hand  in  hand  with  the  most  scrupulous  sense  of  honor. 

His  boyhood,  spent  partly  in  the  city,  partly  in  the  open  country, 
followed  the  lines  of  conservative  New  England  training.     The 


328  NORTH  CAROLINA 

spiritual  side  of  his  life  was  never  neglected  for  the  sake  of  the 
physical  or  the  mental,  but  the  three  were  evenly  trained.  The 
chief  principle  instilled  was  that  to  every  task,  however  trivial, 
must  be  given  the  best  that  was  in  him,  and  that  it  was  far  more 
manly  to  take  pride  in  one's  work  than  to  be  ashamed  of  it.  Even 
in  his  early  boyhood,  the  direction  that  his  energy  and  industry 
were  to  take  in  the  man  showed  themselves  in  the  dominant  pas- 
sion for  collecting  minerals  and  specimens  of  natural  history. 

His  education  so  begun  in  the  home  was  continued  in  the 
public  high  school  of  Hartford,  whence  he  entered  in  1890  the 
Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale  University.  His  work  here 
was  in  the  chemistry  course,  leading  to  the  degree  of  Ph.B.  He 
attracted  early  the  attention  of  his  instructors  by  the  high  qualities 
of  mind  and  character,  and  in  1893  took  the  degree  with  highest 
honors.  His  natural  tastes  and  his  acquirements  led  him  to  de- 
vote his  attention,  even  during  the  vacation  of  his  undergraduate 
days,  to  active  work  in  the  subjects  of  his  special  study,  and  it 
was  at  such  a  time  that  he  first  came  to  North  Carolina.  In  the 
Summer  of  1892  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  North  Carolina  Geo- 
logical Survey  with  Professor  S.  L.  Penfield  of  Yale,  engaged  in 
collecting  minerals  for  the  State  exhibit  at  the  Chicago  World's 
Fair.  In  the  Fall  of  1893  he  continued  his  studies  at  Yale,  special- 
izing in  graduate  courses  of  mineralogy,  geology  and  chemistry. 
During  part  of  the  time  that  he  was  engaged  in  these  duties  he 
served  also  in  the  capacity  of  assistant  in  chemistry  and  mineral- 
ogy* and  in  the  Summer  of  1894  he  taught  mineralogy  at  the  Har- 
vard Summer  school.  Through  this  period,  also,  he  spent  his 
Summers  in  North  Carolina,  working  on  corundum,  mica  and 
other  non-metallic  minerals,  in  the  employ  of  the  North  Carolina 
Geological  Survey. 

The  high  level  of  his  work  during  this  period  is  still  testified  to 
by  his  professors.  Says  Professor  H.  L.  Wells:  "His  chemical 
work  was  of  high  quality.  His  thesis  work  for  the  degree  of 
Ph.D.  was  chiefly  in  chemistry,  and  his  principal  investigation  was 
'On  the  Double  Halides  of  Caesium,  Rubidium,  Sodium  and  Lith- 
ium with  Thallium'  (published  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science 


JOSEPH  HYDE  PRATT  329 

in  189s).  This  was  an  elaborate  and  important  piece  of  work,  in 
which  some  fourteen  new  salts  were  made  and  described."  In 
1896  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  From  1895  to  1897 
he  was  instructor  in  mineralogy  at  Yale,  and  found  time  for 
numerous  independent  investigations,  the  results  of  which  ap- 
peared from  time  to  time  in  the  scientific  journals. 

Endowed  as  he  was  with  an  unusual  amount  of  energy,  he  did 
not  restrict  himself  to  scientific  activity  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other 
interests.  A  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  and  a  devoted 
Christian,  he  made  himself  so  endeared  to  the  people  by  his  un- 
tiring work  in  Sunday-school,  in  city  missions,  as  president  of 
the  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  that  on  his  departure  from  New 
Haven  a  public  gift,  to  which  all  had  been  eager  to  contribute, 
witnessed  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  He  has  continued  this 
work  since  coming  to  North  Carolina,  and  has  been  instrumental 
in  the  establishment  of  a  number  of  Sunday-schools  in  the  moun- 
tains of  the  State. 

In  1897  Doctor  Pratt  left  Yale  to  accept  a  position  as  assistant  to 
the  general  manager  of  the  Toxaway  Company  of  the  Sapphire 
country  in  North  Carolina,  and  also  to  serve  as  mineralogist  to 
the  North  Carolina  Geological  Survey.  He  took  advantage  of  this 
opportunity  to  carry  on  independent  investigations  of  the  corun- 
dum properties  of  the  company,  a  field  of  mineralogy  in  which  he 
is  now  recognized  as  an  authority.  While  here  he  met  Mary  Dicus 
Bayley  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  whom  he  afterward  married, 
April  5,  1899.  He  resigned  his  position  with  the  Toxaway  Com- 
pany after  a  very  short  time  to  devote  all  his  time  to  his  work  as 
State  mineralogist  in  connection  with  the  State  Geological  Sur- 
vey at  Chapel  Hill,  and  as  consulting  mining  engineer.  Here  he 
was  made  lecturer  on  Economic  Geology,  and  in  1904  was  elected 
professor  of  that  subject.  With  an  interruption  of  two  years^ 
1901-03 — he  has  continued  to  the  present  time  to  serve  the  State 
University  in  this  capacity.  In  1905,  in  the  absence  of  Professor 
Holmes,  he  was  appointed  acting  State  geologist,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  was  made  State  geologist.  Doctor  Pratt's  researches  in 
mineralogy  have  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  several  new  minerals, 


330  NORTH  CAROLINA 

among  which  are  the  following:  pirssonite,  wellsite  (with  H.  W. 
Foote),  mitchellite  (named  after  Professor  Elisha  Mitchell  of 
the  University  of  North  Carolina),  northupite,  rhodolite  (with 
W.  E.  Hidden),  a  new  gem  mineral  that  has  only  been  found  thus 
far  in  North  Carolina.  (Published  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Science,) 

His  private  collections  of  North  Carolina  gems,  gem  minerals 
and  corundum  minerals  have  been  awarded  gold  medals  at  the 
Buifalo,  the  Charleston  and  the  St.  Louis  expositions. 

In  the  department  of  economic  geology  he  has  recently  accom- 
plished an  important  piece  of  work  in  superintending  the  briquet- 
ting  tests  of  the  coal-testing  plant  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  by  which  it  was  clearly  proven  that  uncommercial  coals 
could  be  made  marketable  by  the  process  of  briquetting.  (Pub- 
lished in  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  Professional  Paper 
No.  48,  p.  1389,  1906.) 

He  has  advocated  vigorously  the  construction  of  good  roads 
throughout  North  Carolina,  and  of  State  aid  for  this  purpose ;  and 
believes  that  the  time  will  shortly  come  when,  through  the  assist- 
ance of  the  State,  the  various  counties  will  be  traversed  with 
graded  macadam  roads.  Quietly  but  persistently  he  has  worked 
for  the  establishment  of  the  Appalachian  Forest  Reserve. 

His  activity  in  these  various  branches  led  to  his  appointment  on 
the  Commission  of  the  Appalachian  Forestry  Reserve  which  waited 
on  Congress  in  1906.  At  the  St.  Louis  Exhibition  in  1904  he  was 
put  in  full  charge  of  the  North  Carolina  mines  and  minerals,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  International  Jury  of  Awards.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Jury  of  Awards  at  the  Portland  Exposition. 

His  abilities  as  a  mineralogist  and  geologist,  made  widely  known 
through  his  publications,  received  recognition  alike  from  various 
mining  companies  and  from  the  United  States  Government.  From 
1899  to  IQ06  he  was  field  geologist  for  the  United  States  Geologi- 
cal Survey,  and  in  1902  a  special  agent  of  the  United  States 
census.  In  1902-03  he  was  secretary  of  the  Engineering  Com- 
pany of  America,  and  since  1900  has  held  a  directorship  in  the 
Rogers  Iron  Company  and  the  Gray  Iron  Casting  Company,  both 


JOSEPH  HYDE  PRATT  331 

of  Springfield,  Ohio.  He  has  been  retained  by  numerous  mining 
companies  as  consulting  engineer,  and  in  this  capacity  his  un- 
failing skill  and  knowledge,  together  with  his  incorruptible  in- 
tegrity, have  so  increased  the  demand  for  his  services  that  he  is 
unable  to  satisfy  it.  In  1903  he  received  general  recognition  of 
these  qualities  by  the  oifer  of  the  presidency  of  the  Colorado 
School  of  Mines.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Tau  Omega  Fra- 
ternity, the  Sigma  Xi  Scientific  Society,  the  Yale  Club  of  New 
York  City,  the  North  Carolina  Historical  Society,  the  North  Caro- 
lina Audubon  Society,  the  North  Carolina  Academy  of  Science,  the 
North  Carolina  Good  Roads  Association,  the  American  Forestry 
Association,  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  the 
American  Geographical  Society,  the  American  Chemical  Society, 
the  New  York  Academy  of  Science,  and  a  Fellow  in  the  Geo- 
logical Society  of  America,  and  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science.  In  unbroken  political  allegiance  he 
has  identified  himself  with  the  Democratic  Party. 

The  value  of  such  a  man  to  the  State  of  his  adoption  cannot  be 
estimated  solely  by  the  measure  of  his  scientific  activities  in 
bringing  to  light  the  natural  advantages  of  the  State,  however 
far-reaching  these  may  be.  His  character  lends  inestimable 
weight  to  his  achievements.  A  man  of  unlimited  energy  and  in- 
dustry, wholly  accurate  in  his  knowledge,  he  has  unusual  executive 
abilities  in  organization  and  in  the  leadership  of  men.  He  is 
brought  by  his  work  into  contact  with  many  and  various  men,  and 
his  absolute  integrity  and  trustworthiness,  aided  by  his  infinite  tact, 
places  him  at  once  at  their  head.  He  is  a  man  of  most  polished 
manners  and  of  a  commanding  presence.  His  private  life  in  the 
home  is  ideal,  and  his  friends  are  numbered  by  the  number  of 
his  acquaintances.  When  it  might  be  so  easy  to  bury  himself  in 
his  scientific  researches,  on  the  contrary  his  public  interest  makes 
itself  felt  in  entering  heartily  into  the  business  life  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives,  and  in  supporting  every  movement 
which  tends  to  improve  financially,  educationally,  religiously  and 
aesthetically  the  people  of  his  neighborhood. 

Beginning  with  1894  Doctor  Pratt  has  published  over  one  hun- 


332  NORTH  CAROLINA 

dred  important  papers  and  books.  The  list  is  too  long,  however,  to 
be  embodied  in  this  sketch.  Many  of  the  papers  were  contributed 
to  the  American  Journal  of  Science;  others  are  embraced  in  the 
Mineral  Resources  and  Bulletins  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey;  others  appeared  as  bulletins  and  other  publications  of 
the  North  Carolina  Geological  Survey ;  while  still  others  appeared 
in  the  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal,  Mining  and  Metallurgy, 
and  in  the  Journal  of  the  Elisha  Mitchell  Society.  Among  the 
more  important  publications  not  elsewhere  mentioned  are  "Co- 
rundum and  the  Basic  Magnesian  Rocks  of  Western  North  Caro- 
lina," published  in  conjunction  with  Professor  J.  V.  Lewis  of 
Rutgers  College,  a  volume  of  over  300  pages,  which  will  un- 
doubtedly be  the  standard  reference  book  on  these  rocks  for  some 
time  to  come  (Vol.  I  of  the  North  Carolina  Greological  Survey)  ; 
"On  the  Occurrence  and  Distribution  of  Corundum  in  the  United 
States,"  two  bulletins  prepared  for  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  Nos.  180  ( 1900)  and  269  ( 1905) ,  268  pp. ;  "The  Steel  and 
Iron  Hardening  Metals  of  the  United  States,  including  Nickel 
and  Cobalt,  Chromium,  Tungsten,  Molybdenum,  Vanadium,  Tita- 
nium and  Uranium,"  representing  several  papers  published  in  the 
Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey ;  numer- 
ous papers  on  asbestos,  embodying  the  results  of  investigations 
relating  to  this  mineral,  regarding  which  he  is  now  a  recognized 
authority.  His  papers  on  the  general  subject  of  abrasive  materials 
show  the  grasp  that  he  has  of  this  subject,  being  called  upon  to 
do  special  work  in  this  line;  on  the  tin  deposits  of  the  Carolinas 
(with  D.  B.  Sterrett)  and  on  the  talc  deposits  of  North  Carolina, 
two  papers  which  take  up  in  detail  the  occurrence,  origin  and 
uses  of  these  minerals.  The  former  was  published  as  Bulletin  19 
and  the  latter  as  Economic  Paper  No.  3  of  the  North  Carolina 
Geological  Survey. 

The  reports  of  Dr.  Pratt  on  the  mining  industry  and  general 
mineral  resources  of  the  State  are  as  important  to  the  commercial 
development  of  the  State  as  any  of  his  publications.  These  ap- 
peared as  Economic  Papers  Nos.  6,  7,  8  and  9  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina Geological  Survey.  George  Howe. 


uo\- 


^ 


'^;- 


ROBERT  SMITH  REINHARDT 


^HE  strength  of  Southern  men  and  their  power 
to  achieve  success  are  well  exemplified  in  the 
career  of  R.  S.  Reinhardt,  the  president  of  the 
American  Cotton  Manufacturers'  Association. 
The  fortitude,  intellectual  vigor,  energy  and 
persistent  endurance  of  toil  and  hardship  that 
were  the  characteristics  of  Southern  soldiers  are  traits  that 
would  naturally  develop  the  highest  business  capacity  when- 
ever opportunity  should  arise  for  Southern  men  to  engage 
under  favorable  conditions  in  the  vocations  of  peace.  And  so  it 
has  happened  that  after  the  long  conflict,  with  the  unfavorable 
circumstances  that  upon  the  restoration  of  the  Union  pressed  the 
South  down,  had  ended  in  the  establishment  of  prosperous  times 
among  the  people,  we  have  witnessed  an  industrial  development 
that  would  seem  marvelous  if  we  were  not  aware  of  the  power, 
the  energy,  and  the  capacity  of  those  Southern  men  who  have 
wrought  this  great  work  in  their  respective  localities. 

Among  those  who  have  displayed  fine  powers  in  comprehending 
the  questions  and  problems  incident  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
at  the  South,  Mr.  Reinhardt  has  been  accorded  by  his  fellow- 
workers  a  most  enviable  position. 

Without  the  advantages  of  higher  education  or  scholastic  train- 
ing, and  without  the  aid  either  of  influential  connections  or  of 
considerable  means,  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  began  a  mer- 


334  NORTH  CAROLINA 

cantile  business  and  did  not  become  interested  in  milling  enter- 
prises until  he  had  attained  his  thirty-first  year.  But  after  fifteen 
years  of  experience  in  manufacturing,  he  finds  himself  president 
of  the  American  Cotton  Manufacturers*  Association,  with  a  mem- 
bership embracing  every  section  of  the  Union  and  extending  from 
New  England  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Still  his  career,  like  that 
of  Mr.  Duke,  the  head  of  the  American  Tobacco  Company,  is 
only  an  illustration  of  the  capacity  of  Southern  men  to  achieve 
success  in  every  field  of  human  endeavor,  and  is  an  exemplification 
of  the  fact  that  Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than 
War. 

Mr.  Reinhardt  is  a  native  of  Lincoln  County,  North  Carolina, 
and  has  always  lived  in  Lincoln  County,  and  traces  his  descent  from 
the  sturdy  German  Pathfinders  who  braved  the  hardships  and 
dangers  of  pioneer  life,  and  wrested  the  region  watered  by  the 
Catawba  from  the  savages  of  the  forest.  They  began  to  come 
from  Pennsylvania  to  new  homes  in  North  Carolina  in  small  com- 
panies as  early  as  174S,  but  it  was  five  years  later  before  they 
moved  in  large  bodies  to  the  fertile  Piedmont  country.  Locally 
they  were  known  as  the  "Pennsylvania  Dutch,"  because  they  came 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  because  of  the  peculiar  language  used  only 
by  those  particular  people,  which  was  made  up  of  the  dialects 
found  in  the  ancient  Palatinate,  in  Wurttemberg  and  other  coun- 
tries bordering  on  the  Rhine,  intermingled  with  English  words, 
which  continued  to  be  used  in  their  settlements  for  several  gen- 
erations. 

Christian  Reinhardt,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  coming  from  Pennsylvania,  where  the  name  is  still 
found,  settled  on  land  that  now  adjoins  the  town  of  Lincolnton, 
and  around  his  house  was  fought  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
the  famous  battle  of  Ramseur's  Mills,  and  the  same  ground  was 
afterward  for  two  days  occupied  by  Lord  Cornwallis  and  the 
British  army.  He  married  Barbara,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  War- 
lick,  another  pioneer,  whose  mill  was  twice  burned  by  the  hostile 
Cherokees. 

Christian  Reinhardt,  Jr.,  son  of  the  pioneer,  married  his  lovely 


ROBERT  SMITH  REINHARDT  335 

neighbor,  Mary  Forney.  Her  father,  General  Peter  Forney,  was 
a  brave,  active  and  zealous  partizan  officer  in  the  Revolution,  being 
almost  continuous  in  his  operations,  beginning  with  Rutherford's 
campaign  against  the  Cherokees  and  ending  with  Rutherford's 
movement  against  Craig,  which  drove  that  scourge  of  the  Cape 
Fear  from  his  post  at  Wilmington.  He  represented  his  county  in 
the  Legislature  several  times,  and  during  the  War  of  18 12  was 
a  Representative  in  Congress ;  and  he  was  an  elector  on  the  Jef- 
ferson, Madison,  Monroe  and  Jackson  tickets.  He  was  a  man  of 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  after  the  Revolutionary  War  he  pur- 
chased an  undeveloped  deposit  of  iron  ore  in  Lincoln  County  and 
became  the  most  noted  pioneer  ironmaster  of  that  section.  He 
was  a  son  of  Jacob  Forney,  Sr.,  who,  as  a  pioneer,  had  many  en- 
counters with  the  Cherokees,  whose  frequent  incursions  into  the 
Catawba  region,  seeking  to  drive  the  planters  from  their  new 
homes,  gave  a  hazardous  and  perilous  cast  to  their  frontier  life. 
Like  his  son,  he  was  a  firm  and  unwavering  Whig  during  the  Rev- 
olution, and  contributed  much  by  his  zeal  and  activity  toward  the 
success  of  the  cause  of  Independence.  When  the  British  forces 
were  in  pursuit  of  Morgan  their  progress  was  impeded  by  the 
high  waters  of  the  Catawba,  and  Comwallis  made  his  headquarters 
in  Mr.  Forney's  comfortable  house  for  three  days,  consuming  his 
entire  stock  of  cattle,  hogs  and  poultry,  as  well  as  all  the  corn  and 
forage  on  the  plantation.  Franklin  M.  Reinhardt,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  proprietor  of  Rehobeth  Furnace 
and  a  successful  ironmaster.  He  was  a  man  of  gjeat  enterprise, 
and  noted  for  his  good  sense,  geniality  and  kindness  of  heart.  He 
married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  David  Smith,  Esq.,  by  his  wife.  Miss 
Amdt,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Godfried  Amdt,  a 
pioneer  Lutheran  minister  of  great  learning  and  piety.  When, 
in  1773,  because  of  the  absence  of  ministers  and  teachers,  the 
Lutherans  in  North  Carolina  were  obliged  to  send  to  Hanover  to 
get  men  to  supply  their  needs,  Mr.  Amdt  came  over  as  a  teacher, 
and  then  became  a  minister,  and  after  a  notable  service  in  Rowan 
County,  eventually  settled  in  Lincoln  County,  where  he  laid  sure 
and  deepb  the  foundations  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  that  commu- 


336  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ity.  All  of  Mr.  Reinhardt's  ancestors  lived  in  Lincoln  County  and 
were  noted  for  their  energy,  integrity  and  thrift,  for  the  high  re- 
spectability of  their  character  and  their  public  spirit.  The 
eariier  ones,  like  all  their  German  neighbors  residing  in  that 
region,  were  devoted  adherents  of  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed 
churches. 

Mr.  R.  S.  Reinhardt  was  bom  at  Rehobeth  Furnace,  Lincoln 
County,  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1858.  In  1867,  when  but  nine 
years  of  age,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father,  and  while 
his  admirable  mother  exerted  herself  to  secure  for  him  all  possible 
advantages,  and  herself  trained  him  in  the  paths  of  a  high  and 
virtuous  manhood,  yet  because  of  the  ravages  of  the  war  and  the 
loss  of  her  husband,  she  could  do  no  more  than  send  him  to  the 
public  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  until  attaining  his  fourteenth 
year,  he  was  placed  for  one  year  at  the  North  Carolina  College. 
However,  under  her  fine  influence  he  had  made  the  best  of  his 
opportunities,  and  his  understanding  and  character  were  de- 
veloped and  he  was  so  well  advanced  in  education  that  when  only 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  justified  in  trying  to  begin  work  as  a 
man  on  his  own  account. 

He  started  life  as  a  merchant  in  1873,  establishing  a  general 
merchandising  business  at  Iron  Station. 

Inheriting  from  his  sturdy  ancestors  a  conservative  disposition 
and  strict  integrity,  and  trained  in  habits  of  economy,  he  applied 
himself  with  energy  and  zeal  to  his  business  and  soon  became 
master  of  the  trade  of  his  section.  Courteous  and  kindly  in  his 
intercourse,  and  possessing  the  entire  confidence  of  his  neighbors, 
who  esteemed  him  for  his  fair  dealing,  he  entered  on  a  prosperous 
career,  which  was  enlarged  when  he  united  to  merchandising  the 
business  of  dealing  in  cotton.  He  continued  his  mercantile  opera- 
tions at  Iron  Station  for  fifteen  years,  when,  becoming  connected 
with  the  Elm  Grove  cotton  mill,  he  removed  to  Lincolnton.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1889  he  was  elected  treasurer  and  manager  of  the 
Elm  Grove  cotton  mill,  which  had  been  erected  on  the  Catawba 
about  one  mile  from  Lincolnton  some  three  years  before.  The 
mill  had  at  that  time  only  about  three  thousand  spindles  and  was 


ROBERT  SMITH  REINHARDT  337 

not  prosperous.  Mr.  Reinhardt  and  his  brother,  Mr.  J.  E.  Rein- 
hardt,  together  with  some  other  friends,  bought  the  control  of  the 
property,  and  under  the  new  management,  with  an  increased 
capacity  and  controlled  by  the  fine  business  sagacity  of  the  Rein- 
hardts,  it  soon  entered  on  a  career  of  great  prosperity.  In  con- 
nection with  this  subject  it  is  interesting  to  observe  that  the  first 
cotton  mill  ever  erected  in  the  South  was  built  by  Michael  Schenck 
in  1815  within  three  miles  of  the  site  of  Elm  Grove,  the  spindles 
and  machinery  being  made  in  the  local  coimtry  shops,  although 
afterward,  in  1818,  other  machinery  was  brought  from  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  and  the  mill  continued  in  operation  until  1863, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that 
the  new  industrial  life  of  the  South  now  finds  one  of  its  most 
important  fields  in  the  near  vicinity  of  that  first  attempt  at  South- 
em  enterprise. 

Since  his  connection  with  this  mill  began  Mr.  Reinhardt's  efforts 
have  been  principally  devoted  to  conducting  the  business  of  Elm 
Grove;  but  he  is  also  president  of  the  Piedmont  cotton  mill  of 
Lincolnton,  and  is  connected  with  three  other  mills.  Having  great 
faith  in  the  outcome  of  the  milling  interests,  with  judicious  fore- 
thought Mr.  Reinhardt  purchased  and  has  improved  much  prop- 
erty in  Lincolnton,  which  has  now  largely  appreciated  in  value. 
Since  moving  to  that  town,  his  best  thoughts  and  tireless  energy 
have  been  devoted  to  the  cotton  mill  industry,  and  he  combines  a 
thoroughly  practical  experience  in  cotton  manufacturing  with  a 
high  order  of  business  ability.  He  is  progressive  and  quick  to 
adopt  improved  processes,  and  his  efforts  have  been  crowned  with 
success  and  have  brought  him  merited  fame  as  one  of  the  progres- 
sive men  pressing  forward  the  industrial  development  of  the 
southern  section.  He  is  one  of  the  four  organizers  of  the  South- 
ern Cotton  Spinners'  Association,  which  was  recently  merged 
into  the  American  Cotton  Manufacturing  Association.  He  has 
been  on  the  board  of  governors  ever  since  its  organization,  and  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  every  meeting,  hav- 
ing served  as  chairman  at  the  last  four  annual  meetings ;  and  at 
the  meeting  in  1904  he  was  elected  president  of  the  National  Asso- 


33«  NORTH  CAROLINA 


cifttion,  being  now  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  esteemed 
of  the  mill  men  of  the  South. 

Mr.  Reinhardt  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  matters 
that  concern  the  welfare  of  his  people,  and  while  he  has  never 
nought  political  preferment  he  has  manifested  his  interest  in 
politics  by  liberal  contributions  and  by  having  served  several  years 
AM  clmirman  of  the  Democratic  executive  committee  of  his  county. 

lie  i»  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  is 
liberal  in  donations  to  all  good  works;  he  is  Past  Master  of 
Lincoln  Lodge,  No.  137,"  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  a  Knight  Templar  and  a 
TI\irly-5econd  I">cgrec  Mason ;  Shriner,  Past  Chancellor  of  Lincoln 
Lod|;e,  No.  48,  Knights  of  P}'thias,and  member  of  the  D.  O.  K.  K., 
atul  is  interested  in  the  works  of  all  these  various  organizations.  A 
\\\^\\  Si>  busy  and  so  interested  in  the  matters  that  claim  his  at- 
tetUion  fimls  little  time  to  indulge  in  amusements,  and  Mr.  Rein- 
httfvU**  princi|>al  relaxation  and  exercise  have  been  riding  and 
driving  gvxxl  horses*  for  which  he  has  a  fondness;  a  good  animal 
always  exciting  his  admiration. 

He  was  happily  marrieil  on  the  13th  of  Februar\-,  1879,  to  Miss 
I^ura  IVgraiu,  a  lady  of  refinement  and  culture.  Mrs,  Reinhardt 
1$  aotixx'  in  church  wwk,  and,  indeed,  zealous  in  all  works  of 
hciH^wlcuvX',  and  is  a  faw^rite  in  the  social  circle  of  which  her 
clv.inr,iti^ik:  lhMt>e  is  the  ct^ntcr.  Their  hoiue  life  is  happy  and  beacd- 
fuU  Vhev  hAx-^  t\\\>  sons  and  t\\x^  daughters,  while  they  have  lost 
thrt^e  ch^^'.rci\. 

Cxv^;v^v,pa;*^\g  the  F.fe  and  character  of  Mr.  Reinhardt,  ooe 
$ee^  whAT  pr,res  are  v>pen  hen^  at  the  South  to  the  roerrtor>ocs. 
Tata  K^tvu  v^t  a  tAther^s  <V5Urv>I  and  g^idsmoe,  at  a  tenier  age 
As^^,r,r:r,^  t>!e  TV:5^;vvv<*^r::y  of  a  K:>ir»ess  career,  be  has,  msaiie^  by 
to.Tt;"vV  tJi\v:ns  ^-:  5&.\^'y  by  the  JtreniTih  of  his  own  cxi5£sier::t 
av;VTV^ve  to  r%Ar"\  *^Ti:x*>jX<',  ach>e\>^i  a  rorrse  f re  hrr:>elf  that 
r'^vV^  >  ^*t  xV^sc-nvv  \  ir.  t>e  troct  rank  of  the  iniTSCriil  arrry  rf 


JOHN  REX 


?N  the  old  city  cemetery  at  Raleigh,  where  the 
"rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep,"  is  a 
slab  marking  the  grave  of  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  the  community  who  in  life  was  not 
considered  a  great  man — indeed,  one  who  may 
not  now  be  called  great — yet  whose  memory 
will  outlive  that  of  many  of  his  more  pretentious  contempo- 
raries. This  was  John  Rex,  founder  of  Rex  Hospital 
in  his  adopted  city  of  Raleigh.  The  inscription  on  this  slab 
states  that  he  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Raleigh,  who  departed  this  life  on  the  29th  day  of 
January,  a.d.  1839,  aged  seventy-four  years;  that  he  sustained 
through  life  the  character  of  an  honest  and  industrious  man ;  and, 
at  his  death,  devoted  the  fruits  of  his  industry  and  economy  to  pur- 
poses of  benevolence  and  charity.  When  this  is  read  the  simple 
story  of  his  life  is  before  us ;  yet  a  few  more  particulars  may  be 
gathered,  and  these  we  shall  now  give. 

John  Rex  was  a  tanner  by  trade.  His  establishment  was  at  a 
place  called  Rex*s  Spring,  well  within  the  present  city  limits  and 
on  a  square  bounded  by  Lane,  Jones,  Salisbury  and  McDowell 
streets.  In  his  Tucker  Hall  address  on  "Early  Times  in  Raleigh," 
on  August  24,  1867,  Governor  Swain  said : 

"John  Rex  was  one  of  the  earliest  citizens  of  Raleigh.  My  acquaintance 
with  him  was  slight.     In  appearance  he  was  said    to    bear    striking    re- 


340  NORTH  CAROLINA 

semblance  to  that  of  John  Quincy  Adams.  He  was  a  grave,  sedate,  quiet, 
retiring,  modest  man,  not  unlike  in  character  his  worthy  contemporary, 
William  Peck.  By  long  years  of  industry,  economy  and  thrift  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  first  tannery  established  in  Raleigh  at  Rex's  Spring,  near 
the  railway  station,  he  accumulated  a  handsome  estate;  and,  like  Mr. 
Peace,  atoned  for  his  failure  to  build  up  a  family,  by  a  liberal  provision 
for  the  children  of  misfortune  and  want.  He  manumitted  all  his  slaves  at 
the  close  of  life,  and  bequeathed  the  remainder  of  his  estate  to  the  endow- 
ment of  a  hospital,  the  construction  of  which  is  said  to  be  in  early  pros- 
pect. The  Rex  Hospital  and  Peace  Institute,  the  latter  far  advanced  to- 
ward completion,  will  constitute  the  appropriate  and  enduring  monuments 
of  these  public  benefactors." 

Mr.  Rex  was  never  married,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  few 
near  relations.  To  a  kinsman  and  namesake,  John  Rex,  he  be- 
queathed fifty  acres  of  land  called  the  Broad  Axe  Tavern  tract,  in 
Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania.  Not  only  were  Mr.  Rex's 
slaves  freed  by  his  will,  but  it  was  also  provided  that  they  should  be 
sent  to  Africa  and  there  settled  in  some  free  state  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  American  Colonization  Society — expenses  of  transpor- 
tation and  settlement  to  be  borne  by  the  Rex  estate.  It  was  also  pro- 
vided that  any  negro  who  so  desired  might  be  sold  in  America  in- 
stead of  being  freed  and  transported  to  Africa. 

The  American  Colonization  Society  was  a  Southern  institution 
of  Virginia  origin,  having  been  created  by  the  Legislature  of  that 
State  in  December,  1816.  It  was  organized  in  Washington  City  by 
a  number  of  Southern  gentlemen,  the  first  president  being  Bush- 
rod  Washington,  the  favorite  nephew  and  principal  legatee  of  Gen- 
eral Washington,  who  remained  at  its  head  for  many  years,  and  it 
was  ardently  supported  by  Henry  Clay  and  other  Southern  states- 
men, who  hoped  through  its  instrumentality  to  prepare  a  way  for 
the  removal  of  many  negroes  to  Africa  and  gradually  to  arrange 
for  the  complete  emancipation  of  the  negro  slaves  of  the  South. 

Mr.  Rex  died  in  1829,  and  it  was  many  years  before  his  benevo- 
lent purpose  to  provide  a  hospital  for  Raleigh  was  carried  into 
eflfect  The  trustees  of  the  bequest  decided  to  wait  until  the 
fund  had  grown  to  sufficient  dimensions  before  using  it.  They 
managed  it  skillfully,  and  by  1861  it  amounted  to  nearly  $40,000. 


JOHN  REX  341 


The  investment  was  largely  in  bank  stocks  and  other  securities, 
which  had  not  only  been  remunerative,  but  in  times  of  peace  were 
secure,  for  the  North  Carolina  banks  were  admirably  managed  and 
the  legislation  of  the  State  in  regard  to  them  was  so  wise  that 
the  State  banks  were  among  the  most  substantial  in  the  Union. 
During  the  war,  however,  the  banks  received  Confederate  money 
and  State  money  in  the  course  of  their  business,  and  as  a  result 
of  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy  and  the  enforced  repudiation  of 
State  obligations,  the  whole  banking  system  of  North  Carolina 
went  down  in  disaster.  In  1866  scarcely  $5000  worth  of  property 
remained  to  the  fund.  Again  the  trustees  addressed  themselves  to 
the  duty  of  increasing  it  by  accumulation,  and  so  admirably  did 
they  manage  it  that  by  1893  it  had  g^own  to  about  $27,000.  It  was 
then  decided  to  carry  Mr.  Rex's  purposes  into  effect. 

At  that  time  another  hospital  was  in  operation  in  the  city  of 
Raleigh.  It  had  been  established  by  St.  John's  Guild,  an  organiza- 
tion created  by  Rev.  Mr.  Rich,  the  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the 
Good  Shepherd,  who  by  the  aid  of  his  congregation  and  with  many 
of  the  members  of  Christ  Church,  with  one  or  two  other  benevolent 
citizens,  formed  the  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining 
a  city  hospital.  Dr.  P.  E.  Hines  was  the  chief  surgeon,  being  as- 
sisted by  some  of  the  other  physicians  of  the  city.  Established  in 
1884,  for  a  decade  St.  John's  Hospital  was  supported  by  voluntary 
subscriptions,  and  was  a  most  beneficient  charity.  When,  in  1893, 
the  trustees  of  the  Rex  Hospital  fund  determined  to  open  a  hos- 
pital in  comformity  with  Mr.  Rex's  bequest,  it  was  thought  that  the 
community  could  not  well  sustain  both  institutions,  and  the  St. 
John's  Guild  considered  it  best  to  discontinue  their  hospital,  and 
it  conveyed  its  building  and  property  to  the  Rex  Hospital,  receiv- 
ing as  the  price  comparatively  a  small  amount,  just  sufficient  to 
pay  all  the  indebtedness  of  St.  John's  Guild. 

In  the  Fall  of  1893  R^x  Hospital  was  opened,  the  city  of  Raleigh 
then  appropriating  $2000  annually  for  its  maintenance,  and  this 
appropriation  has  been  continued  to  the  present  time.  The  insti- 
tution has  been  of  inestimable  advantage  to  the  community. 

M,  DeL.  Haywood. 


ROBERT  HENRY  RICKS 

MONG  the  many  prominent  citizens  of  the 
I  State  who  have  risen  to  a  high  plane  of  useful- 
ness by  their  own  exertions  is  Robert  Henry 
Ricks  of  Rocky  Mount.  He  is  an  admirable  il- 
lustration of  the  feasibility  of  attaining  wealth 
and  influential  position  in  North  Carolina  by 
steadfast  application  directed  by  capacity  and  native  intelli- 
gence. 

The  family  of  which  he  is  a  member  has  long  been  settled  in 
the  tide-water  region  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  one  of  his 
progenitors,  Isaac  Ricks,  having  been  a  resident  of  Nansemond 
County,  Virginia,  as  far  back  as  1669,  and  from  there  the  family 
later  crossed  the  line  and  located  in  Eastern  North  Carolina.  They 
were  always  farmers,  men  of  respectable  character,  standing  well 
in  their  community,  leading  pure  and  easy  lives,  contented  with 
their  fortunate  lot  and  enjoying  reasonable  prosperity. 

Mr.  David  Ricks,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
a  farmer  living  in  Nash  County,  and  he  married  Miss  Martha 
Vick  of  that  vicinity.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  character,  with 
great  will  power  and  remarkable  for  his  tenacity  of  purpose ;  and 
their  son,  who  was  born  on  the  4th  of  April,  1839,  inherited  much 
of  these  traits  from  his  father. 

Fond  of  an  active  life,  raised  in  a  county  where  the  young  men 
were  much  addicted  to  hunting  and  out-of-door  sport,  he  entered 


J  /  u^  - 


.     'I  ^ev 

.    Was 


((^—z/y^ 


^^ 


ROBERT  HENRY  RICKS  343 

with  zest  into  such  amusement,  and  being  gifted  with  a  robust 
constitution  and  fine  health,  he  excelled  in  all  sports  in  which  he 
engaged.  The  school  facilities  of  his  vicinity  were  limited,  and 
his  education  was  obtained  at  the  local  public  and  private  schools 
of  the  neighborhood,  which  kept  only  ten  weeks  a  year ;  and,  in- 
deed, after  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  he  ceased  going  to  school 
at  all,  and  was  employed  on  his  father's  farm  until  1859  when, 
being  twenty  years  of  age,  he  engaged  as  a  farm  hand  with 
Mr.  Joel  Wells  of  the  same  county. 

Two  years  later  the  war  broke  out  and  Mr.  Ricks  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Confederate  army,  serving  in  Manly's  Battery  and 
in  other  batteries  of  light  artillery.  This  army  service  at  this 
time  of  life  was  of  great  benefit  to  him,  as  it  proved  to  be  also  to 
thousands  of  others.  It  tended  to  develop  the  sterling  qualities  of 
manhood ;  fostered  courageous  action ;  inured  one  to  danger  and 
hardship ;  begat  a  spirit  of  self-reliance,  cultivated  the  powers  of 
observation,  and  practiced  one  in  habits  of  application  and  a 
methodical  discharge  of  duties. 

Emerging  from  the  war,  the  trained  soldier  with  fine  resolution 
settled  down  to  the  routine  of  farm  life,  determined  to  achieve 
success.  By  1874  he  had  so  far  improved  his  condition  that  he 
felt  able  to  marry,  and  on  the  first  day  of  December  of  that  year 
he  married  Miss  Tempie  E.  Thorne,  and  from  that  time  onward 
his  business  has  yearly  increased.  As  circumstances  permitted  he 
has  branched  out  in  business,  and  has  successfully  engaged  in 
manufacturing  and  in  banking,  thus  aiding  in  the  industrial  de- 
velopment of  his  vicinity.  He  is  a  successful  and  large  farmer,  and 
was  the  pioneer  of  bright  tobacco  culture  in  Eastern  North  Caro- 
lina. 

About  the  year  1889  he  became  a  director  of  the  Rocky  Mount 
cotton  mills,  and  so  evident  was  his  sagacious  management  of  the 
aflFairs  of  that  great  corporation  that  in  1899  he  was  elected  its 
president,  a  position  that  he  still  retains.  In  the  meantime,  in 
1894,  he  became  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  Rocky 
Mount  and  of  the  Mayo  cotton  mills,  and  in  1902  vice-president  of 
the  large  Washington  cotton  mills  of  Virginia.     Indeed,  step  by 


344  NORTH  CAROLINA 

step  he  has  advanced  so  surely  and  with  such  good  results  that 
he  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prosperous,  most  ener- 
getic and  most  useful  citizens  of  that  portion  of  the  State. 

Always  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Ricks  has  been  constant  in  his  efforts 
to  advance  the  interests  of  that  party,  and  has  been  zealous  to 
establish  on  a  secure  basis  the  supremacy  of  the  white  man  in 
Eastern  Carolina.  Being  intent  on  his  business  affairs,  he  has  not, 
however,  sought  political  preferment.  Still  he  has  served  his 
community  as  county  commissioner,  and  under  the  administration 
of  his  friend  and  neighbor.  Governor  Carr,  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Penitentiary,  but  declined  later 
to  accept  the  same  employment  when  elected  by  the  Legislature. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  Nash 
County  in  the  Assembly  of  1903,  and  was  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  influential  members  of  that  body. 

Mr.  Ricks  is  not  a  member  of  any  church,  but  is  affiliated  with 
the  Primitive  Baptists,  and  he  attributes  his  first  impulse  to  strive 
for  the  prizes  of  life  to  the  influence  exerted  on  him  by  his  mother, 
a  woman  of  strong  mentality,  who,  while  training  him  morally, 
also  was  potent  in  giving  direction  to  his  life.  Indeed,  he  ascribes 
his  success,  first,  to  the  influence  of  his  mother  and  his  home,  and 
then  to  contact  with  men  in  the  army,  developing  self-reliance  and 
resourcefulness,  and  to  the  ambition  engendered  by  association 
with  worthy  citizens.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  and  A.  Masons, 
and  has  always  been  a  constant  reader  of  good  books,  preferring, 
however,  histories  to  other  literature.  In  business  he  has  been 
fortunate,  since  his  application,  industry  and  sagacity  have  so 
uniformly  brought  him  success ;  and  he  suggests  to  young  men 
that  no  tnie  success  can  be  attained  without  constant  energy  and 
integrity.  S.  A,  Ashe. 


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1 


1'  'I    no   n;:in   (A    tii  • 
r-^    ii:<n:llc.   iiono    ■ 
tlu,  (hist  an.l   a^l"  ^ 
aliitU'K'  oi  I'ccir  [>'   • 
sc<  'Mod  us.     N  .:-.■ 
I'tio^s  t.;  tiicir  l"-i   t 
iii(\*i*iclor<'v  nf  the  I '< 
vis'tiir^-,   ur.^'-.i   th--" 
{hoc  ''1'^ 'n:[)flr]it<   ''     • 
!;^.L'  laii.l.    S'»nn  cap  » 
exrrome  (.i'lririilty  ni  ■ 
v'"A:(  r  a.U  ])\ry\   tlint    (■: 
r-'^^'HT  hut  w'>cr  men. 

It  is  true  tl-it  l-^  re  nr... 
i:ie!i  r>\  tiic  *^oii»*^.  were  t(/  !.• 
II  'i,  a<l  ;T-f  thetiiselves  to  t^lianj 
Tven  tlien-  v.  ere  f'^^v,  luuvev.-r.  '\* 
k'Ti«l  ai;<l  wiio  (Ij.j  not  do  it  ''T.  •< 


r„P^'" 


)\    i^^^A^.oZt^^ 


// 


FRANK  SHEPPARD  ROYSTER 

^S  Job  had  his  comforters  in  the  hour  of  his  be- 
reavement— Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  Bildad  the 
Shuhite,  and  Zophar  the  Naamathite — so  had 
the  South  in  the  time  of  its  desolation — certain 
well-meaning  philanthropists  from  the  North. 
They  came  every  man  from  his  own  place, 
but  no  man  of  them  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept,  none  rent 
his  mantle,  none  put  on  sackcloth,  none  sat  down  with  us  in 
the  dust  and  ashes  of  our  hopes.  Instead,  from  the  superior 
altitude  of  their  pharisaic  complacency,  they  advised,  lectured  and 
scolded  us.  Naturally  this  advice  was  not  taken,  so  they  wrote 
letters  to  their  home  papers  telling  of  the  indolence  and  practical 
inefficiency  of  the  denizens  of  the  benighted  region  that  they  were 
visiting,  urged  their  adventurous  confreres  to  come  down,  oust 
these  incompetents  from  their  inheritance  and  take  possession  of 
the  land.  Some  came — to  their  sorrow.  Too  late  they  realized  the 
extreme  difficulty  of  reconciling  antagonistic  points  of  view,  and 
either  adopted  that  of  their  new  neighbors  or  returned  home 
poorer  but  wiser  men. 

It  is  true  that  here  and  there  among  the  middle-aged,  or  older, 
men  of  the  South  were  to  be  found  those  who  could  not,  or  would 
not,  adapt  themselves  to  changed  conditions.  Among  the  younger 
men  there  were  few,  however,  who  did  not  welcome  labor  of  any 
kind  and  who  did  not  do  it  efficiently.  Even  the  schoolboys  of  the 


346  NORTH  CAROLINA 

period  were  straining  at  the  leash  in  their  eagerness  to  go  out  into 
the  world  and  conquer  for  themselves  a  name  or  a  fortune.  The 
goal  of  their  ambition  was  not  college  honors,  but  remunerative 
work.  Boys  such  as  these  did  not  spring  from  the  loins  of  incompe- 
tents, and  well  have  they  proven  this  since.  The  great  industrial 
progress  of  the  South  for  the  past  thirty  years  has  been  very  largely 
their  handiwork,  and  with  them  still  guiding,  directing  and  leading 
it,  this  once  impoverished  section  is  to  become  erelong  one  of 
the  industrial  centers  of  the  world.  Thus  they  have  testified  to 
the  moral  and  intellectual  stamina  of  the  race  from  which  they 
sprang. 

Among  the  leaders  in  the  industrial  rehabilitation  of  the  South 
is  Frank  Sheppard  Royster;  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  came 
of  the  sturdy  stock  of  gentlemen  farmers,  who,  before  the  Civil 
War,  made  Granville  County  so  attractive  with  its  free  life  and 
abounding  hospitality.  His  father.  Captain  Marcus  D.  Royster, 
was  a  successful  merchant  and  farmer  in  that  county.  He  was 
a  man  of  strong  mind,  took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and 
exerted  considerable  influence  over  them.  He  was,  too,  one  of  the 
presiding  justices  of  the  county  court  for  a  number  of  years. 
His  mother,  Frances  Webb,  daughter  of  John  Webb,  who  lived 
and  died  on  Tar  River,  near  Oxford,  was  a  woman  of  exemplary 
Christian  character,  a  devout  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Though  she  died  when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Royster 
is  indebted  to  her  training  and  example  for  the  success  that  has 
attended  him  throughout  his  life.  She  was  of  that  Webb  family 
from  which,  during  the  past  hundred  years,  have  sprung  so  many 
first-class  merchants,  physicians,  lawyers  and  public  men.  These 
even  to  this  day  may  be  found  here  and  there  throughout  six  or 
more  Southern  States,  maintaining  the  traditions  of  their  family 
activity,  intelligence  and  enterprise. 

F.  S.  Royster  was  bom  December  24,  1849.  His  first  school- 
days were  spent  at  the  Oak  Hill  Academy,  near  his  father's  home. 
This  was  taught  by  Jesse  P.  Bagby.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  was 
sent  to  the  Bethel  Academy,  Person  County,  under  the  care  of 
Reverend  T.  J.  Homer,  who  afterward  removed  to  Tally  Ho,  Gran- 


FRANK  SHEPPARD  ROYSTER       347 

ville  county.  He  remained  at  the  Homer  school  until  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  returned  home  to  take  a  position  in 
his  father's  store  at  Oak  Hill.  There  he  remained  until  October, 
1870,  when  he  commenced  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  for  O.  C. 
Farrar  in  Tarboro,  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Farrar  was  a  man  of  a 
strong,  rugged  nature,  indomitable  energy  and  great  natural 
ability.  Perceiving  the  business  aptitude  and  sterling  honesty  of 
young  Royster,  he  soon  made  him  his  confidential  clerk,  and  later 
partner  in  the  concern.  The  firm  of  O.  C.  Farrar  and  Co.,  thus 
constituted,  did  an  enormous  business,  remembering  that  it  was 
located  in  a  town  of  1500  inhabitants.  The  larger  part  of  this  was 
in  furnishing  supplies  to  farmers,  taking  as  security  liens  and 
mortgages.  Under  the  strain  and  stress  and  arduous  labor  of 
such  a  business,  Mr.  Royster's  health  failed,  and  in  1876  he  re- 
tired from  the  firm.  In  that  year  he  associated  himself  with 
Mr.  C.  C.  Lanier  of  Tarboro  in  a  general  brokerage  and  com- 
mission business,  under  the  style  of  Lanier  and  Royster. 
Mr.  Lanier  was  a  careful,  painstaking,  accurate  business  man,  and 
the  enterprise  flourished  from  its  inception.  In  1882  these  gentle- 
men, desiring  a  larger  field  for  operations,  took  Mr.  Edmund 
Strudwick,  then  of  Hillsboro,  North  Carolina,  now  of  Richmond, 
Virginia,  into  partnership  and  established  a  cotton  commission 
house  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  under  the  firm  name  of  Royster  and  Co. 
Mr.  Lanier  remained  in  charge  of  the  office  in  Tarboro,  while 
Mr.  Royster  removed  to  Norfolk.  In  April,  1883,  however,  the  firm 
was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Lanier.  It  was  then  reorganized 
under  the  name  of  Royster  and  Strudwick,  Mr.  Royster  returning 
to  Tarboro,  while  Mr.  Strudwick  remained  in  Norfolk.  Mr. 
Strudwick  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  promising  of  the  young 
business  men  of  the  period,  and  his  subsequent  career  has  amply 
fulfilled  that  promise.  A  sketch  of  his  life  appears  elsewhere  in 
these  volumes.  This  firm  prospered  also.  In  1891,  Mr.  Royster 
having  become  interested  in  other  enterprises,  sold  his  interest 
therein  to  Mr.  Strudwick. 

Few  persons  of  the  general  public  appreciate  the  important  part 
that  commercial  fertilizers  have  played  in  the  agricultural  develop- 


348  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ment  of  the  South  in  the  past  thirty  years.  Without  their  use  large 
areas  of  productive  lands  would  long  since  have  become  barren 
wastes.  Von  Leibig,  the  father  of  agricultural  chemistry  in  1840, 
showed  the  world  that  the  growth  of  crops  was  a  taking  from  the 
soil  chemical  elements  which  were  its  life.  These  must  be  restored 
from  time  to  time,  else  the  land  would  become  practically  worth- 
less. The  process  of  fertilizing  is  then  nothing  less  than  supplying 
the  land  with  necessary  food,  without  which  it  would  die — ^a  slow 
death,  it  is  true,  but  one  that  is  absolutely  inevitable  where  the  soil 
is  exhaustible.  The  commercial  fertilizer  is  simply  a  food  in  a 
digestible  form  for  these  hungry,  starving,  worn-out  lands,  and 
thus  preventing  the  wholesale  destruction  of  capital,  has  proved 
itself  a  boon  to  the  country  at  large  as  well  as  to  the  farmers. 

In  1885  Mr.  Royster,  realizing  the  great  future  of  the  manufac- 
ture of  fertilizers,  erected  a  small  plant  in  Tarboro.  The  total 
output  of  this  plant  the  first  year  was  250  tons.  The  enterprise 
proved  successful.  He  could  not  supply  the  demand  for  his  prod- 
uct, and  in  1891  he  determined  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  that 
business.  In  1897  so  extensive  had  it  become  he  transferred  his 
headquarters  to  Norfolk.  The  F.  S.  Royster  Guano  Company 
was  incorporated,  F.  S.  Royster,  President,  and  Charles  F.  Bur- 
roughs, vice-president,  and  a  large  and  complete  fertilizer  fac- 
tory with  a  yearly  capacity  of  75,000  tons  was  erected  on  the 
Southern  branch  of  the  Elizabeth  River.  Since,  there  has  been 
a  constant  increase  in  the  business  of  the  company.  It  now  covers 
the  States  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia 
and  Alabama,  distributing  the  product  of  six  plants,  one  at  each 
of  the  following  places :  Norfolk,  Tarboro,  North  Carolina ;  Co- 
lumbia and  Spartanburg,  South  Carolina ;  Macon  and  Columbus, 
Georgia,  the  whole  valued  at  over  three  millions  of  dollars,  with  a 
capacity  of  200,000  tons  and  sales  verging  close  upon  the  capacity. 

This,  in  short,  is  the  record  of  a  very  remarkable  commercial 
success — a  success  wholly  deserved.  It  has  been  Mr.  Royster's 
fortune  to  be  associated  throughout  his  career  with  men  of  more 
than  ordinary  ability  and  enterprise — O.  C.  Farrar,  C.  C.  Lanier, 
Edmund  Strudwick  and  Charles  F.  Burroughs.     This  in  itself 


FRANK  SHEPPARD  ROYSTER       349 

is  high  testimony  to  his  own  worth,  but  it  does  not  account  for  his 
remarkable  success.  He  knows  his  business  in  detail  and  in  its 
general  features  thoroughly.  He  knows  what  is  demanded  by 
the  farmers  in  the  territory  which  his  concern  reaches,  and  he 
strives  earnestly,  intelligently  and  honestly  to  meet  that  demand, 
and  those  who  buy  from  him  know  that  they  are  getting  honest 
goods  at  a  fair  price.  In  all  this  it  seems  to  me  lies  the  secret  of  his 
success. 

He  has  steadfastly  refused  to  enter  any  combination  of  fertilizer 
manufacturers,  and  so,  with  the  financial  strength  of  his  company 
and  its  annually  increasing  business,  he  is  able  to  occupy  an  inde- 
pendent position  and  to  meet  all  competition. 

For  many  years  he  has  been  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
an  officijil  relation  to  the  church  of  his  mother  that  has  never  been 
nominal.  On  the  contrary  he  has  given  liberally  of  his  time  and  of 
his  means  to  its  service.  Nor  is  his  Christianity  nominal.  It  is 
to  him  a  very  real  thing,  influencing  him  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  and  constituting  to  him  the  prime  rule  of  action.  I  can  sug- 
gest only  the  benevolence  of  his  character,  for  in  that  he  sounds 
no  trumpets  before  him  that  he  may  be  seen  of  men. 

November  5,  1874,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Stamps,  of  Milton, 
North  Carolina,  a  lady  of  fine  culture  and  great  intellectual  charm, 
and  they  have  four  children  living,  two  sons  and  two  daughters ; 
William  Stamps,  the  eldest,  is  treasurer  of  the  F.  S.  Royster 
Guano  Company.  Mrs.  Royster  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Doctor  William  Stamps  of  Milton,  and  a  younger  sister  of  the 
wife  of  the  late  Judge  George  Howard  of  Tarboro. 

Mr.  Royster  is  still  in  active  business  with  powers  unabated, 
and  in  the  natural  course  of  events  may  look  forward  to  years  of 
usefulness.  Many  a  man  who  makes  more  noise  in  the  world 
could  be  better  spared  than  he.  If  to  make  two  blades  of  grass 
grow  where  one  grew  before  is  to  constitute  one  a  public  bene- 
factor, how  much  more  is  he  who  makes  whole  fields  to  bloom 
where  otherwise  there  would  be  desolation? 

Frank  Nash, 


THOMAS  RUFFIN 

[HOMAS  RUFFIN,  one  of  the  most  eminent 
characters  in  the  annals  of  North  Carolina,  was 
bom  on  November  17,  1787,  at  Newington,  the 
residence  of  his  mother's  father,  in  the  county 
of  King  and  Queen,  Virginia.  His  father  was 
Sterling  RufBn,  son  of  Robert  Ruffin,  of  May- 
field,  in  Dinwiddie,  and  later  of  Sweet  Hall  in  King  William,  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  serving  with  Peter  Jefferson, 
the  father  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  William  Byrd,  Benjamin  Harri- 
son, William  Randolph,  Augustine  Washington,  Henry  Lee,  and 
others  whose  names  are  still  prominent  in  Virginia,  while  the  fol- 
lowing names  are  familiar  also  in  North  Carolina :  John  Ruffin, 
Armistead  Burwell,  Paul  Carrington  and  Abram  Venable. 
Mr.  Sterling  Ruffin  was  a  planter  residing  in  Essex  County,  who 
early  in  life  had  married  Alice  Roane,  a  daughter  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Roane,  whose  family  was  highly  distinguished  in  Vir- 
ginia by  the  public  services  of  its  members ;  and  his  mother  was 
first  cousin  of  Chief  Justice  Spencer  Roane  and  of  Thomas  Richie, 
the  distinguished  editor,  and  of  Doctor  William  Brockenborough, 
the  president  of  the  bank  of  Virginia,  and  United  States  Senator 
William  Henry  Roane. 

After  being  prepared  at  the  Classical  Academy  in  Warrenton, 
North  Carolina,  then  taught  by  the  celebrated  Marcus  George, 
where  among  others  as  his  schoolmates  were  Robert  Broadnax 


•■>       ^ 


•  :wM  \S   RrM'lX 

'    **  ;  \'-    Kl'l-iMV,   unc   of   t':c.   most   eir.i- 

.•>-ters  ivi  the  a:in:tl<  i4  Nor'h  C'ar.)l;na,  \ 
k      '         ni  ('11  Xi»»v'i.i)cr  17.  !;'S7,  at  Xcwin^toii, 
'  --i'iciict^  «•:'  "i.^  niotl-.!  r's   f:'-];i'r.  in  tl^.c  0 
•  j'  t\iiir  .  •    I  tjii'Mi,  \'.^^':.   I      ilis  failur 
•-.    S^'^'■'••.   i.i.fVni,  son  «if  !*•    ...  n  I<iitiiii,  of  ) 
'         •;       '.:..>:    of  Swril   }i  Jl   in    Km"^  W  iliia' 
'     .'       "         i  1 '.uri.',v>.ses,  scrviuLT  w  :.i  Tele  r  JciTv : - 
:  -  Ji.:Yrr><tn,  William  ]».i'l,   iW'rijamin  11 

»lj)h,  Ac'uustine  \\'a>]iiii;^^ion,  IK-my  Ia'O. 
..].rs  arv  .still  prominent  in  \'irc:inia.  while  tbt 
-  arc  f.tiiiiiar  al.^o  in  North  C'iT-v,»lina  :  J>.4in   V  ' 
.  ..TwvU.    Paul     Carrini^ton     and     Alnam    \'or 
Kiitnn  was  a  ;)l:mler  residin.u,^  iri  Mss^x  C^oimtx. 
iia-l  irirr  • '1  .Alicx^  Iv-anc.  a    dan^hrcr    of    ('  ■ 
.i;c\   w  I     -•    family   was  hiLrhl}'   ^i'- t',iL;iii^h'.'fi   in 
;•••'.!  1      -frvices  of  its  mcir.hrrs:  and  liis  nv'lhcr  • 
•  '  '•'.  *  !.".-t  ce  Sprnccr  ]\o:<ne  and  of  Th  ■•mas  V 
-   ■  •         -.  and  of  Doot'>r  \\'illia;n  r.fivkopSoi 
.*  1:  (^f  \'i'^hiia,  and  L'niled  Statc\  S 


-:•   1  at  t1 '■  rias«=ica]  Acad'/ir.y  in   W'a- 
•»   t  :-\.'it   !>}'   iho   cel'i>rit('d   Mar'-'is   • 
.-   schiO(.lnialt's  were  Rn'^^ri   i 


t 


0'K^(n^^^^*-^(^^--^f^ 


THOMAS  RUFFIN  351 

of  Rockingham  County,  Cadwalader  Jones,  then  of  Halifax,  later 
of  Orange,  and  Weldon  N.  Edwards  of  Warren,  who  continued 
through  life  his  intimate  friends,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  entered 
the  College  of  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  and  graduated  with  honors 
in  1805.  He  studied  law  with  Mr.  J.  A.  Robertson,  of  Petersburg, 
and  continued  in  his  office  until  1807.  In  that  year  his  father  re- 
moved to  North  Carolina,  settling  in  Rockingham  County,  and  the 
son  also  coming  to  this  State  completed  his  legal  studies  under 
the  direction  of  Judge  A.  D.  Murphey,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1808.    The  next  year  he  located  in  Hillsboro. 

Just  east  of  that  historic  town,  touching  indeed  its  boundary, 
was  a  rounded  mound,  scarcely  high  or  abrupt  enough  to  be  called 
a  hill,  whose  sides  and  top  were  covered  by  an  open  grove  of  mag- 
nificent oaks,  hickories  and  maples.  Through  this  in  1809  ran 
a  footpath  to  Ayrmount,  the  home  of  the  Kirklands,  a  mile  away. 
In  this  grove,  the  Summer  of  the  same  year,  and  on  a  tree  trunk 
fallen  by  the  wayside,  Thomas  Ruffin,  the  ambitious  young  law- 
yer, with  his  future  already  to  himself  secure,  but  unsuspected 
by  others,  addressed  Annie  M.  Kirkland,  then  scarcely  more  than 
a  child — ^not  yet  sixteen  years  of  age — and  was  accepted  by  her; 
and  they  were  married  December  7,  1809.  Miss  Kirkland  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Kirkland,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Hillsboro. 

For  the  next  twenty  years  Judge  Ruffin.  made  his  home  at  Hills- 
boro, representing  that  town  in  the  House  of  Commons  in  181 3, 
181 5  and  1 8 16,  when  he  was  elected  as  judge  to  succeed  Judge 
Duncan  Cameron,  but  he  remained  on  the  bench  at  that  time  only 
two  years.  He  had  become  surety  for  Judge  Murphey,  whose 
financial  embarrassments  involved  many  of  his  friends  in  pecuni- 
ary distress.  Judge  Ruffin  was  very  punctilious  about  money 
matters,  and  having  suffered  this  heavy  loss  he  felt  it  incumbent 
on  him  to  retire  from  the  bench  and  seek  to  restore  his  fortune 
by  his  practice  at  the  bar.  Probably  no  other  lawyer  in  the  State 
at  any  time  made  greater  professional  efforts  than  he  did  at  this 
juncture.  He  extended  his  practice  into  the  courts  of  the  adjoin- 
ing districts,  and  habitually  made  two  courts  in  one  week,  and  for 
forty-three  weeks  in  the  year  he  had  his  engagements  in  court,  and 


352  NORTH  CAROLINA 

,  despite  all  conditions  of  weather,  traveling  in  a  stick  gig,  he  rarely 
failed  to  meet  any  of  them.  Throughout  all  these  years  of  strug- 
gle and  of  striving,  of  disappointment  and  disgust,  his  wife  was 
ever  his  good  angel,  soothing  the  asperities  of  his  temper,  restrain- 
ing his  ardent,  sometimes  intense,  sensibilities,  stimulating  his 
hope  and  ambition  and  sharing  his  disappointments  and  trials. 
Meantime  she  was  caring  for,  guiding  and  controlling  their  grow- 
ing family.  It  is  said  that  she  was  the  only  influence  that  came 
into  the  life  of  this  great  but  rugged  personality  to  which  he  de- 
ferred— the  kind  of  deference  that  is  beautiful  always,  but  strik- 
ingly so  in  such  a  character.  Six  years  of  this  hard,  unremitting 
toil,  however,  brought  its  reward,  and  being  relieved  of  embarrass- 
ment, upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Badger  in  1825,  he  again  ac- 
cepted an  appointment  of  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court. 

As  an  advocate  Judge  Ruffin  was  very  successful  and  very 
strong.  In  his  addresses  he  was  earnest  and  impassioned,  and 
sometimes  he  would  bend  his  slender,  lithe  form  until  he  could 
strike  the  floor  in  front  of  the  jury  with  his  knuckles,  and  he  was 
eminently  successful  as  a  jury  lawyer,  while  his  thoroughness  in 
the  learning  of  his  profession  gave  him  great  influence  with  the 
Court.  He  had  no  rival  in  the  Supreme  Court  except  the  dis- 
tinguished Archibald  Henderson  and  Judge  Gaston,  and  in  the 
lower  courts  he  had  command  of  all  the  important  cases.  Indeed 
it  may  be  said  that  he  was  the  first  practitioner  in  the  State  when 
he  retired  from  the  bar  and  accepted  a  place  on  the  bench  in  1825. 

In  the  Autumn  of  1828,  however,  because  of  his  fine  business 
qualifications,  he  was  prevailed  on  to  take  charge  of  the  old  bank 
of  North  Carolina ;  and  the  next  year  Honorable  John  Branch,  be- 
ing then  appointed  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  resigned  his  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  Judge  Ruffin  was  urged  to  become  a 
candidate  for  that  position,  to  which  he  certainly  would  have  been 
elected ;  but,  like  Judge  Gaston,  he  declined,  declaring  that  he  had 
rather  go  down  to  posterity  as  a  lawyer  than  as  a  politician. 
Thereupon  the  Legislature  elected  him  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  four  years  later,  upon  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Hen- 
derson, he  succeeded  to  that  high  office.    In  this,  his  chosen  field. 


THOMAS  RUFFIN  353 

he  won  imperishable  fame.  His  decisions  illumined  the  annals  of 
jurisprudence.  As  great  as  he  was  as  a  common  law  lawyer,  he 
was  even  more  distinguished  for  his  equity  decisions.  His  reputa- 
tion extended  beyond  the  bounds  of  North  Carolina  and  his  opin- 
ions were  quoted  not  merely  in  other  States  but  with  approbation 
also  in  Westminster  Hall.  They  were  authority  relied 'on  by 
eminent  writers  of  text-books  no  less  than  by  the  justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Few  judges  in  the  Union 
have  been  of  the  same  class  as  he  in  the  annals  of  judicial  litera- 
ture. If  any  have  had  a  greater  influence  upon  the  development 
of  the  law  in  this  country,  it  was  because  their  decisions  dealt  with 
questions  broader  in  their  scope  and  more  varied  in  their  aspects 
and  not  because  they  were  greater  judges. 

His  style  was  elevated  and  his  language  well  selected,  clear  and 
precise,  well  suited  to  judicial  opinions.  For  twenty-five  years 
he  adorned  the  bench  and  his  opinions  run  through  thirty-five 
volumes  of  the  reports  and  formed  the  bulk  of  our  judicial  litera- 
ture for  a  generation.  They  are  of  unsurpassed  excellence,  un- 
rivaled in  the  jurisprudence  of  any  other  State  or  country;  and 
they  constitute  a  memorial  of  North  Carolina  thought,  sentiment 
and  juridical  learning  that  posterity  will  ever  value  as  the  chief  est 
pride  of  our  people. 

Chief  Justice  Clark  has  written  of  him  in  the  History  of  the 
Supreme  Court: 

''The  hunter  in  the  Indian  jungle  discovers  by  unmistakable  signs  when 
the  king  of  the  forest  has  passed  by.  So  the  lawyer  who  turns  over  the 
leaves  of  the  North  Carolina  Reports,  when  he  comes  upon  an  opinion  of 
Thomas  Ruffin,  instantly  perceives  that  a  lion  has  been  there.  He 
reached  the  rare  distinction  of  being  equally  great  both  in  the  common  law 
and  as  an  equity  lawyer.  Pearson  probably  equalled  him  as  a  common 
law  lawyer,  but  fell  far  short  of  him  in  the  g^rasp  and  application  of  the 
g^eat   principles   of  equity." 

Judge  Clark  continues: 

"It  is  his  singular  fortune  to  have  resigned  twice  from  both  the  Superior 
Court  and  Supreme  Court  bench.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  too,  that  in  1848 
all  three  of  the  Supreme  Court  judges  (Ruffin,  Nash  and  Battle),  the  gov- 
ernor (Graham),  and  one  of  the  United  States  senators  (Mangum)  were 


354  NORTH  CAROLINA 

from  the  single  county  of  Orange.  Already  from  1845  to  1848  two  of  the 
Supreme  Court  (Ruffin  and  Nash),  the  governor  (Graham),  and  one  United 
States  senator  (Mangum)  had  been  elected  from  that  county;  while  at 
the  Legislature  of  1841  both  United  States  senators  (Graham  and  Man- 
gum)  were  elected  from  the  same  county  of  Orange,  in  which  the  chief 
justice  Jhen  resided,  and  from  1852  to  1858  two  of  the  Supreme  Court 
judges  were   again   from   Orange. 

"Take  him  all  in  all,  we  have  not  seen  his  like  again.  By  the  consensus 
of  the  profession  he  is  the  greatest  judge  who  ever  sat  upon  the  bench  in 
North  Carolina,  and  those  few  who  deny  him  this  honor  will  admit  that 
he  has  had  no  superior.  In  political  opinions  he  was  the  follower  of  Jef- 
ferson, but  this  did  not  prevent  his  reverence  for  Chief  Justice  Marshall, 
who  was  his  personal  friend,  as  was  also  Chancellor  Kent.  Mr.  Frank 
Nash  in  the  course  of  a  discriminating  article  says:  'Judge  Ruffin's  men- 
tal constitution  was  more  like  that  of  the  great  Chief  Justice  Marshall 
than  of  any  judge  of  whom  the  writer  has  knowledge,  but  the  defects  of 
Ruffin's  temperament,  assuming  that  he  had  been  placed  on  so  broad  a 
stage,  would  have  prevented  him  from  becoming  so  great  a  judge.  Both 
were  endowed  by  nature  with  what,  for  lack  of  better  term,  we  call  a  legal 
mind;  both  had  great  courage  and  strength  of  will;  both  were  ambitious 
in  and  for  their  profession;  both  had  a  great  capacity  and  fondness  for 
labor,  both  had  great  vigor  of  understanding,  and  both  loved  the  law  as 
a  science  and  were  thoroughly  imbued  with  its  principles.  Marshall,  how- 
ever, had  a  calm  evenness  of  temper,  a  sweetness  of  disposition,  a  thor- 
ough control  over  his  prejudices  that  Ruffin  never  had,  nor  could  ever  ac- 
quire, so  the  order  of  his  temperament  made  him,  who  otherwise  might 
have  been  a  Marshall,  more  of  a  Thurlow.  So  great,  however,  were  the 
endowments  and  acquirements  of  Judge  Ruffin  that  one  can  but  regret  that 
he  had  not  been  placed  upon  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  side  by  side  with  Marshall.  What  noble  discussions  of  fundamental 
questions  from  opposing  points  of  view  we  should  have  then  have  had.*  '* 

And  of  him  Judge  R.  T.  Bennett  says: 

"I  have  read  every  opinion  delivered  by  the  late  Chief  Justice  Ruffin,  as 
Associate-Justice  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  when  I  completed  these  readings,  I  said  in  my  deepest  thought, 
'Chief  Justice  Ruffin  is  the  greatest  judge  who  ever  administered  justice 
in  an  English-speaking  community.* " 

When  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  in  1852,  he  resigned  from  the 
bench,  proposing  to  retire  from  all  professional  work.  In  1830 
he  had  removed  to  his  plantation  on  Haw  River  in  Alamance 


THOMAS  RUFFIN 35S 

County,  while  operating  another  on  Dan  River  in  Rockingham 
County,  and  he  had  become  known  as  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  successful  farmers  of  the  State,  and  that  employment  was 
very  agreeable  to  his  disposition.  The  pursuits  of  the  farm  gave 
him  pleasant  recreation,  as  well  as  large  profits,  and  his  home  was 
a  seat  of  culture  and  refinement  and  bounteous  hospitality.  In 
1854  the  Agricultural  Society  of  North  Carolina  elected  him  its 
president,  and  for  six  years  he  continued  in  that  position,  and  by 
force  of  his  example  and  by  his  precepts  he  contributed  largely 
to  the  improvement  of  agricultural  methods  in  the  State.  And 
not  only  so,  but  he  availed  himself  of  his  position  to  urge  improve- 
ment in  all  lines  that  would  be  beneficial  to  North  Carolina.  There 
had  always  been  a  great  stream  of  North  Carolinians  seeking 
homes  in  new  regions,  and  in  his  address  before  the  State  Agricul- 
tural Society  in  October,  1855,  he  said: 

"I  cannot  close,  however,  without  asking  you  once  more  to  cleave  to 
North  Carolina.  Stay  in  her,  fertilize  her,  till  her,  cherish  her  rising 
manufactures,  extend  her  railways,  encourage  and  endow  her  schools 
and  colleges,  sustain  her  institutions,  develop  her  resources,  promote 
knowledge,  virtue  and  religion  throughout  her  borders,  stimulate  State 
pride  and  exalt  her  renown." 

Such  indeed  had  been  his  own  course  in  reference  to  the  State, 
and  no  one  could  urge  her  people  onward  and  forward  so  well  as 
this  eminent  citizen  who  had  reflected  so  much  honor  on  the  State 
and  who  had  set  such  an  example  of  usefulness  and  development. 

On  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Nash,  in  December,  1858,  however, 
having  been  elected  his  successor  by  the  almost  unanimous  vote 
of  the  General  Assembly,  he  again  took  his  seat  as  a  justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  but  sat  only  one  or  two  terms,  returning  to 
private  life  in  the  Fall  of  1859. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he  was  appointed  a  magis- 
trate for  his  county,  and  for  many  years  he  presided  over  the 
county  courts  of  Alamance  County  and  attended  to  all  the  busi- 
ness of  his  community.  Nor  did  he  abandon  his  interest  in  the 
University,  of  which  he  was  a  trustee  for  nearly  fifty  years,  being 
at  last  retired  in  1868  by  the  Republicans  to  make  way  for  some 


356  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  those  who  destroyed  the  usefulness  of  that  institution.  He 
worthily  received  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  from  the  Uni- 
versity and  also  from  his  Alma  Mater. 

The  religious  affiliations  of  Judge  Ruffin  were  with  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church,  of  which  for  more  than  forty  years  he 
was  a  communicant,  and  he  was  one  of  the  most  active  members 
of  the  church  in  the  State  and  more  than  once  he  represented  the 
diocese  in  the  General  Convention  of  the  church  in  the  United 
States. 

Judge  Ruffin  was  from  his  early  years  an  adherent  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Party,  and  in  1824  was  a  candidate  on  the  electoral  ticket 
of  William  H.  Crawford  for  President,  Mr.  Crawford  being  the 
nominee  of  the  caucus  of  the  Democratic  members  of  Congress, 
that  being  before  the  era  of  national  conventions,  and  thus  the 
regular  ticket ;  but  on  that  occasion  North  Carolina  gave  her  votes 
to  Andrew  Jackson,  and  the  election  was  thrown  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  where  Henry  Clay  gave  his  preponderating 
influence  to  John  Quincy  Adams,  making  that  break  with 
Jackson  that  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Whig  Party. 
Judge  Ruffin  continued  to  adhere  to  the  Democratic  Party  and 
was  a  supporter  of  Jackson's  administration.  He  not  only 
held  like  political  views  with  Thomas  Jefferson,  but  in  other 
respects  resembled  him. 

In  the  campaign  of  i860  he  supported  Breckenridge  as  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  and  when  toward  the  end 
of  January,  1861,  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  made  an  ef- 
fort to  secure  a  peaceful  solution  of  sectional  differences  by  sending 
commissioners  to  represent  the  State  at  Montgomery  and  at  the 
Peace  Conference  called  by  Virginia  to  meet  at  Washington  on 
February  4th,  Judge  Ruffin  was  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  Peace 
Conference  at  Washington.  He  accepted  the  employment  with  the 
purpose  of  preventing  a  rupture  of  the  Union  if  possible.  In  that 
body  he  urged  compromise,  concession  and  conciliation.  Nor  did 
he  confine  his  efforts  merely  to  the  members  of  the  Congress. 
General  Scott,  then  at  the  head  of  the  Federal  army,  was  a  man 
of  potent  influence,  and  he  had  been  a  fellow  law  student  with 


THOMAS  RUFFIN  357 

Judge  Ruffin  at  Petersburg.  At  this  critical  period  Judge  Ruffin 
gladly  renewed  their  former  acquaintance  and  urged  upon  him 
that  there  should  be  an  amicable  arrangement  of  differences,  and 
he  also  sought  to  influence  others  who  bore  relations  with  the  in* 
coming  administration.  General  Scott  in  his  Autobiography  men- 
tions that  if  the  sentiments  of  Judge  Ruffin  had  prevailed  the  coun- 
try would  have  escaped  the  sad  inflictions  of  the  war ;  and  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  makes  the  same  statement  in  his  "defense"  of  his 
administration. 

But  the  pleadings  of  this  illustrious  patriot  were  unheeded  by 
the  victorious  partizans  who  were  about  to  possess  themselves 
of  the  Federal  Government.  In  that  Congress  North  Carolina  and 
Virginia  were  unable  to  approve  of  the  conclusion  reached  by  a 
majority  of  the  delegates,  still  as  weak  as  the  report  was  it  was  not 
acceptable  to  those  in  control  of  the  Federal  Congress.  The  party 
friends  of  Mr.  Lincoln  had  no  purpose  to  conciliate  or  to  remove 
the  causes  of  apprehension  which  had  led  to  the  action  of  the 
Southern  States.  They  preferred  war  with  all  of  its  horrors  and 
sufferings  rather  than  live  up  to  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States.  The  concessions  and  sacrifices  offered  by 
the  South  were  disdainfully  rejected  by  these  rabid  partizans. 
With  a  heavy  heart  Judge  Ruffin  returned  to  North  Carolina  and 
retired  to  the  quietude  of  his  home.  It  happened  that  the  writer, 
then  a  student  of  the  law  under  Mr.  William  Ruffin,  was  present 
at  the  time  and  daily  listened  to  Judge  Ruffin's  conversation  on 
the  portentous  events  of  that  momentous  period.  There  also  came 
his  distinguished  kinsman,  Mr.  Edmund  Ruffin,  of  Virginia,  and 
his  son,  who  later  married  Judge  Ruffin's  daughter  Jane.  It 
seemed  to  these  gentlemen  that  the  movement  at  the  South  was 
forced  by  the  people  rather  than  led  by  the  public  men,  who  ap- 
peared inclined  to  be  more  conservative  than  the  masses;  and 
hopes  were  still  entertained  that  war  might  be  averted  until  the 
whole  situation  was  changed  by  President  Lincoln's  call  to  arms. 
Then  the  younger  men  of  the  household  and  of  the  family  at  once 
responded  in  defense  of  the  South  and  hastened  to  occupy,  with 
others,  the  forts  on  the  seaboard. 


358  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  conservative  and  union  sentiments  of  the  venerable  ex- 
chief  justice  were  well  known,  but  he  himself  realized  the  exe- 
gencies  of , the  occasion.  A  public  meeting  was  held  in  Hillsboro 
in  April,  1861,  that  the  citizens  of  the  town  might  express  their 
sentiments  on  the  alarming  state  of  public  affairs.  Judge  Ruffin, 
though  residing  in  Alamance  until  after  the  war,  was  present.  In 
the  course  of  the  meeting  he  called  the  veteran  Democratic  politi- 
cian. General  Allison,  up  to  the  bar  and,  facing  the  audience,  stood 
by  his  side  with  one  arm  about  him,  and  said:  "My  good  old 
friend,  I  ask  you  what  ought  to  be  done  now  ?"  General  Allison's 
reply  was  inaudible,  but  as  he  was  known  to  be  a  Union  man,  it  was 
guessed.  Judge  Ruffin,  leaving  the  old  general  standing,  ad- 
vanced a  step  towar^  the  audience,  and  his  whole  frame  in  a 
quaver  of  emotion,  extended  his  arms,  bringing  them  down  in 
vehement  gesticulation  at  each  repetition  of  the  word,  as  he 
shouted,  "I  say  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!"  It  was  the  scream  of  the 
eagle  as  he  swoops  upon  his  prey.  The  war  feeling  already 
aroused  became  the  dominant  passion  in  every  man's  breast. 

In  May,  1861,  after  the  war  had  begun,  a  convention  was  called 
to  meet  on  the  20th  of  that  month,  and  Judge  Ruffin  was  elected 
a  delegate  from  Alamance  County.  In  the  Convention  he  sought 
to  avoid  a  declaration  of  a  constitutional  right  on  the  part  of  the 
State  to  secede,  preferring  an  ordinance  merely  declaring  the 
union  between  North  Carolina  and  the  other  States  dissolved  to 
the  one  proposed  by  Mr.  Craige.  which  repealed  the  Ordinance 
of  T789,  by  which  the  State  became  a  member  of  the  Union;  but 
in  this  he  may  have  been  influenced  by  considerations  of  tender- 
ness toward  those  who  had  violently  opposed  the  doctrine  of  a 
constitutional  right  to  secede,  as  well  as  by  doubts  of  that  right 
under  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution.  However,  on  being  over- 
ruled by  a  majority  of  the  Convention,  he  acquiesced  in  the  views 
of  his  associates  and  voted  for  the  Ordinance  of  Secession  pro- 
posed by  the  ultra-States'  Rights  men  and  signed  it,  when  passed. 

The  Convention  continued  in  session  for  a  year,  taking  several 
recesses,  and  Judge  Ruffin  contributed  from  the  stores  of  his  ex- 
perience to  the  promotion  of  the  success  of  the  Southern  cause. 


THOMAS  RUFFIN  359 

He  advocated  those  measures  that  were  early  adopted  to  put  the 
State  in  a  position  of  defense,  making  large  appropriations  to 
obtain  military  supplies  and  to  equip  soldiers  for  the  field.  His 
action  was  ever  patriotic  and  based  on  the  wisdom  of  a  thoughtful 
statesman. 

At  the  end  of  the  war  he  found  that  his  farm  had  been  desolated 
in  consequence  of  the  army  having  been  encamped  upon  it,  and  the 
system  of  labor  being  abolished,  he  felt  unequal  to  the  task  of  seek- 
ing to  resuscitate  his  plantation  and  continue  its  cultivation.  The 
calamities  that  had  befallen  him  at  his  age  were  too  great  for  him 
to  successfully  combat.  He,  therefore,  disposed  of  his  estate  and 
again  took  up  his  residence  at  Hillsboro,  where,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  highest  respect  and  veneration  of  the  State,  he  passed  his 
declining  years  in  the  midst  of  friends  and  surrounded  by  his 
children  and  grandchildren. 

He  lived  through  the  period  of  Reconstruction  and  saw  the 
baleful  consequences  of  the  sudden  and  violent  abolition  of  slavery 
and  the  subversion  of  the  Constitution  and  system  of  laws  which 
for  more  than  half  a  century  he  had  aided  in  perfecting,  and  the 
blighting  and  degrading  effect  of  subjecting  the  State  to  the  do- 
minion of  ignorant  negroes  and  their  allies;  and  at  length,  on 
January  15,  1870,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age,  after  an  ill- 
ness of  but  four  days,  he  passed  away.  No  man  in  any  community 
ever  attained  a  higher  eminence  for  virtue,  for  learning  or  for 
integrity  of  character  than  this  exemplary  citizen  of  our  State. 

Mr.  Nash  in  summing  up  his  career  said  of  Judge  Ruffin : 

"He  was  great  as  a  lawyer,  great  as  a  judge,  great  as  a  financier,  great 
as  a  farmer — a  rugged,  indomitable  soul  in  a  frame  of  iron,  made  to  con- 
quer, and  conquering  every  difficulty  on  every  side." 

"A  man   resolved  and  steady   to  his   trust, 
Inflexible  to  ill  and  obstinately  just." 

S.  A,  Ashe, 


THOMAS   RUFFIN,  JR. 


LHOMAS  RUFFIN,  the  fourth  son  of  Chief  Jus- 
tice Ruffin  and  his  wife,  Annie  Kirkland,  also 
an  eminent  jurist,  was  born  in  Hillsboro  in  1824. 
He  was  prepared  for  college  by  a  celebrated 
teacher  of  his  day,  familiarly  known  as  "old 
Sam  Smith,"  who  instructed  many  men  that 
afterward  attained  distinction,  and  who  always  regarded  him  with 
affectionate  veneration.  After  a  thorough  preparatory  education, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
where  he  graduated  with  distinction  in  1844.  He  was  gifted  with 
a  logical  mind  and,  being  a  man  of  fine  attainments,  he  looked  for- 
ward to  a  professional  career.  His  disposition  was  genial  and 
he  was  sociable  by  nature  and  fond  of  fun,  and  without  bad  habits 
or  any  inclination  to  dissipation.  He  was  fortunate  in  being  in- 
structed in  the  elementary  principles  of  the  law,  and  in  the  prac- 
tice, by  .his  distinguished  father  and  his  elder  brother,  William, 
who  was  unexcelled  as  a  teacher  of  jurisprudence.  Having  ob- 
tained his  license  to  practice,  he  located  in  Rockingham  County ; 
and  a  few  years  later,  in  1848,  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
John  H.  Dillard,  in  whom  he  found  a  congenial  companion,  and 
the  friendship  then  began  lasted  throughout  life. 

Popular  and  attentive  to  their  business,  they  soon  established 
an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  and  won  many  friends  in  their 
county.     Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  the  subject  of 


THOMAS  RUFFIN,  Jr.  361 

this  sketch  attached  himself  to  the  Democratic  Party,  and  in  1850 
he  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  a  representative  from  Rockingham 
County  to  the  Legislature,  and  served  with  great  acceptability  to 
his  constituents,  but  he  had  no  liking  for  public  Ufe  and  never 
afterward  sought  any  political  preferment.  He  was  ambitious  to 
excel  in  a  professional  career,  and  in  1854  was  elected  Solicitor  of 
his  district.  In  performing  the  important  duties  of  this  office  he 
attained  widespread  celebrity  for  his  fearless  discharge  of  duty 
and  as  being  a  master  of  the  criminal  law.  He  had  married  early 
in  life  Miss  Mary  Cain,  a  lovely  lady  of  his  native  community, 
and  his  father  being  then  a  resident  of  Alamance  County,  he 
moved  to  Graham,  continuing,  however,  his  partnership  relations 
with  Mr.  Dillard  in  the  Rockingham  business.  At  that  period 
Mr.  Ruffin  held  rank  among  the  foremost  of  the  younger  lawyers 
of  the  State.  With  a  fine  person  and  a  high  order  of  intelligence, 
he  united  strong  characteristics  and  high  professional  attainments. 
His  home  at  Graham  was  a  center  of  a  charming  circle  and  the 
life  of  his  household  was  most  happy  and  enviable. 

While  he  entered  but  little  into  politics,  he  was  much  interested 
in  the  vital  questions  that  convulsed  the  South  in  i860,  and  with 
great  earnestness  he  advocated  the  election  of  Breckenridge,  the 
nominee  of  the  regular  Democratic  Convention.  Although  he  was 
not  an  advocate  of  secession  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  trouble, 
he  realized  that  it  became  every  Southern  man  to  stand  shoulder 
to  shoulder  when  war  had  become  inevitable.  When  news  was 
received  of  the  first  gun  being  fired  at  Fort  Sumter,  Mr.  Ruffin  im- 
mediately organized  a  company  in  Alamance  County,  and  on 
April  1 6th  hastened  with  it  to  Fort  Macon,  and  together  with 
others  seized  that  fort  and  held  it  for  the  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Upon  the  organization  of  military  forces  by  the  State  he 
was  on  May  3,  t86i,  duly  commissioned  Captain  of  his  company, 
and  he  continued  to  serve  with  it  when  it  was  organized  as  a  part 
of  the  Third  Regiment,  later  known  as  the  Thirteenth  Regiment 
of  North  Carolina  Troops.  Its  first  colonel  was  William  D. 
Pender,  who  was  succeeded  in  the  Fall  of  1861  by  Colonel  A.  M. 
Scales.     In  October,  1861,  Judge  Dick,  of  the  Superior  Court, 


362  ^  NORTH  CAROLINA 

died,  and  Governor  Ellis  tendered  the  appointment  to  Captain 
Ruffin,  who  accepted  it,  and  he  held  the  remaining  terms  of  the 
first  court.  But  he  felt  drawn  to  the  military  service  and  resign- 
ing returned  to  his  company  in  the  field. 

On  April  26,  1862,  upon  the  reorganization  of  the  volunteer 
regiments  Captain  Ruffin  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Thirteenth,  which  was  under  General  Colston  and  on  duty  near 
Williamsburg  on  the  Peninsula.  It  was  there  that  the  regiment 
had  its  first  engagement,  Colonel  Ruffin  being  in  command  of  the 
left  wing.  It  was  a  hand-to-hand  fight,  which  lasted  but  a  few  min- 
utes, some  of  the  Thirteenth  being  bayoneted ;  but  if  short  it  was 
hot.  The  companies  engaged  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Ruffin 
behaved  with  the  greatest  gallantry  and  utmost  coolness.  "Not 
a  man  moved  except  to  the  front."  Colonel  Ruffin  served  with 
distinction  along  with  the  Thirteenth  throughout  the  battles  be- 
fore Richmond  and  in  the  battles  at  Second  Manassas,  South 
Mountain  and  Sharpsburg,  the  regiment  being  then  in  Garland's 
Brigade,  and  he  was  in  command  of  it  on  the  return  from  Mary- 
land. At  South  Mountain,  the  regiment,  under  Colonel  Ruffin, 
covered  itself  with  glory.  Garland's  Brigade  alone  defended  the 
pass  against  a  division  led  by  General  Butterfield.  Brigade  after 
brigade  assaulted  our  line,  but  each  time  they  were  driven  back 
with  heavy  loss.  Never  was  there  a  more  stubborn  contest.  "Ow- 
ing to  the  fact  that  Colonel  Ruffin  was  very  careful  of  the  lives 
of  his  men,  cautioning  them  against  unnecessary  exposure,  the 
casualties  of  the  Thirteenth  were  fewer  than  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, but  it  was  one  of  the  most  heroic  actions  of  the  war."  In 
that  battle  Colonel  Ruffin  was  severely  wounded,  and  in  March 
following  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army.  It  was  about 
that  time  that  he  was  recommended  by  the  officers  of  the  Twelfth 
Regiment  to  be  appointed  Colonel  of  that  regiment.  He,  however, 
declined  to  accept  that  position,  but  was  soon  afterward  appointed 
Presiding  Judge  of  the  court  of  Kirby  Smith's  corps  in  the  West- 
em  army,  which  he  continued  to  hold  until  the  end  of  the  war.  On 
the  field  he  had  exhibited  a  fearless  courage  and  unusual  coolness 
in  positions  of  peril  and  difficulty,  and  he  was  distinguished  for 


THOMAS  RUFFIN,  Jr.  363 

his  sympathy  with  the  soldiers  and  his  care  and  kindness  for 
them. 

As  presiding  judge  he  discharged  his  duties  with  considera- 
tion, and  with  a  spirit  that  met  the  approbation  of  the  Confederate 
authorities. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  and  sought  to  battle 
with  the  adversities  that  surrounded  the  home  life  of  the  South- 
ern people.  He  was  by  no  means  a  political  agitator ;  on  the  con- 
trary, his  breadth  of  view  was  that  of  a  statesman,  and  his  dis- 
position was  to  foster  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  a  complacent  ac- 
quiescence in  the  unfortunate  termination  of  the  struggle  for 
Southern  independence.  He  recognized  the  facts  and  was  not  un- 
mindful of  the  logic  of  events ;  but  the  spirit  of  the  Northern  people 
was  too  intolerant  to  win  his  approbation,  and  he  took  his  place 
among  his  neighbors  and  friends  in  their  great  effort  to  secure  for 
the  people  of  the  State  the  control  of  their  local  affairs.  In  1868 
he  steadfastly  opposed  the  Reconstruction  measures  and  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Federal  authorities  under  them. 

While  never  a  prominent  leader  in  public  affairs,  he  was  always 
a  faithful  and  steady  friend  to  and  an  advocate  of  all  measures 
tending  to  the  amelioration  of  social  conditions,  and  he  sought  to 
elevate  public  sentiment  and  to  add  by  his  example  and  counsel  to 
the  march  of  virtuous,  enlightened  and  material  progress.  De- 
voting himself  with  patience  to  his  professional  work,  he  became 
well  known  as  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  resourceful  lawyers 
of  the  State.  As  an  advocate  it  has  been  said  that  he  was  truly 
eloquent.  While  his  language  was  not  remarkable  for  its  elegance, 
it  was  pure  and  forcible  and  his  argument  was  convincing  and 
aroused  the  fervid  emotions  of  his  audience.  He  prepared  his 
cases  with  great  labor  and  fortified  them  strongly  with  well-ar- 
ranged evidence  and  selected  his  authorities  with  careful  dis- 
crimination. In  forensic  debate  he  was  a  formidable  adversary, 
fertile  in  intellectual  resources,  well  equipped  and  persistent  and 
energetic  in  maintaining  his  position,  and  ready  with  quick  per- 
ception to  take  immediate  advantage  of  any  mistake  on  the  part 
of  opposing  counsel. 


364  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Judge  Dick  mentions  in  particular  a  speech  that  greatly  im- 
pressed him: 

"The  incidents  and  outside  facts  relating  to  his  client  that  awakened  his 
sympathies  and  called  forth  his  intellectual  powers  were  that  she  was  poor, 
a  woman,  a  widow,  a  stranger,  without  money  and  far  from  friends  and  her 
home.  There  may  have  been  greater  speeches  at  the  bar  than  he  delivered ; 
but  for  clearness  of  statement,  for  force  of  logic,  for  keenness  of  invec- 
tive, for  nobility  of  sentiment,  and  for  tenderness  of  pathos,  I  have  never 
heard  the  speech  equaled  in  any  forum/* 

He  again  became  associated  in  partnership  with  Judge  Dillard 
and  conducted  a  joint  business  with  him  until  the  latter  was  ele- 
vated to  the  Supreme  Court  bench  in  1878,  and  after  that  he  con- 
tinued to  practice  alone.  Year  by  year  he  grew  more  and  more 
largely  in  the  public  estimation  and  came  to  be  regarded  as  the 
first  lawyer  of  the  State.  At  the  time  of  the  sale  of  the  Western 
North  Carolina  Railroad  in  1880,  he  was  employed  with 
Honorable  George  Davis  to  advise  the  Legislature  and  to  put  the 
contract  in  proper  shape.  This  work,  because  of  its  delicate  nature 
and  the  many  provisions  the  contract  necessarily  contained  to 
guard  the  interest  of  the  State,  was  highly  important,  and  the 
skill  displayed  by  these  distinguished  attorneys  in  its  preparation 
gained  for  them  unmerited  applause,  which  was  not  diminished 
when  they  avowed  that  on  their  part  it  was  the  work  of  patriotism, 
and  that  they  would  receive  no  compensation  for  their  labor. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Dillard  in  188 1  the  profession  at 
once  turned  to  Judge  Ruffin  as  his  most  worthy  successor,  and 
Governor  Jarvis  tendered  him  the  appointment  to  the  vacancy, 
which  he  accepted  and  for  a  few  years  adorned  the  bench.  His 
health,  however,  was  now  impaired,  and  the  exacting  service  of 
the  Supreme  Court  bench  did  not  facilitate  a  recovery,  and  on 
September  23,  1883,  he  retired  from  the  bench  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  law  at  Hillsboro  in  connection  with  Major  John  W. 
Graham. 

Judge  Ruffin  had  passed  his  life  as  an  advocate  and  came  to  the 
Supreme  bench  without  any  training  in  a  judicial  career.  As  a 
lawyer  in  full  practice,  the  habit  of  his  mind  had  become  that  of 


THOMAS  RUFFIN,  Jr.  365 

the  advocate,  which  in  some  respects  differs  from  a  judicial  in- 
vestigation of  the  principles  underlying  legal  cases  and  the  prep- 
aration of  judicial  opinions.  He  had  had  no  experience  in  juridi- 
cal composition.  He  therefore  came  to  the  bench  under  circum- 
stances somewhat  adverse  to  an  immediate  manifestation  of  his 
superior  excellence.  That  he  was  an  industrious  and  impartial 
and  learned  and  able  judge  is  evidenced  by  his  work  upon  the 
bench ;  and  his  opinions  also  show  that  his  views  of  the  law  were 
broadly  comprehensive  and  enlightened,  while  in  his  methods  of 
thought  he  was  judiciously  conservative  and  cautiously  progres- 
sive. His  greatness  as  a  lawyer  frequently  led  to  his  being  com- 
pared favorably  with  his  distinguished  father,  the  great  chief  jus- 
tice; but  he  was  on  the  bench  too  short  a  time  to  develop  his 
capabilities  as  a  writer  of  jurisprudence,  and  ^vhile  in  thought  and 
in  learning  he  occupied  the  same  high  level  as  his  father,  he  had  not 
the  opportunity  to  attain  the  same  training  as  a  writer  of  incom- 
parable judicial  opinions.  Of  him  it  has  been  said  that  he  "pos- 
sessed dauntless  physical  courage,  but  his  high  moral  courage  was 
far  more  admirable.  He  had  due  regard  for  public  sentiment  when 
he  believed  it  to  be  right,  but  he  never  quailed  before  the  clamor 
and  prejudices  of  political  bigotry  or  popular  frenzy.  He  dis- 
countenanced all  forms  of  social  disturbance  and  lawless  violence, 
and  by  words  and  acts  bravely  combatted  all  kinds  of  public  or 
private  injustice  and  oppression.  He  was  the  friend  and  defender 
of  the  poor,  the  weak,  the  helpless  and  unfortunate ;  and  he  aided 
even  the  erring  in  their  eflforts  at  reformation  by  kind  words  and 
acts  of  sympathy  and  encouragement." 

Judge  Dick,  in  the  course  of  his  address  on  the  life  and  char- 
acter of  Judge  Ruffin,  says : 

"We  may  reasonably  ask  ourselves  what  were  the  object  and  purposes  of 
his  creation:  what  the  rewards  of  his  toils,  his  sufferings  and  his  noble 
endeavors?  The  fame  which  he  acquired  as  a  brilliant  advocate  may  live 
in  tradition  for  many  years  and  then  be  obscured  by  the  mists  of  time.  In 
a  half  a  century  the  reports  in  which  are  printed  the  memorials  of  his 
genius  and  wisdom  will  be  retired  to  the  dust  of  law  libraries.  But  he  had 
a  more  blessed  faith.  He  lived  for  a  nobler  purpose.  He  believed  that 
death  was  only  the  natural  process  of  transmutation    to    a    higher   and 


366  NORTH  CAROLINA 

nobler  life.    He  was  cheered  with  the  sublime  Truth  revealed  by  his  Re- 
deemer and  Saviour." 

In  this  blessed  hope  the  end  came  to  the  fearless  soldier  who, 
amid  the  perils  of  the  most  desperate  battlefields,  manifested  a 
coolness  and  an  intrepidity  in  entire  harmony  with  his  courageous 
nature;  a  citizen  no  less  distinguished  in  civil  life  than  in  military 
action,  eminent  for  his  forensic  ability  and  who  by  his  virtues,  his 
character  and  his  learning  adorned  both  the  bar  and  the  bench  of 
his  native  State. 

His  health  remained  precarious  after  leaving  the  bench  in  1883, 
and  although  he  still  engaged  in  the  practice,  he  did  not  pursue 
his  labors  so  actively  as  in  former  years.  At  length  on  May  23, 
1889,  he  passed  away,  greatly  lamented  by  the  people  of  the  State. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


WILLIAM    SKINNER 

OTH  in  peace  and  war  the  Skinner  family  of 
Eastern  North  Carolina  has  borne  an  honor- 
able record.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  its 
most  noted  member  was  Brigadier-General 
William  Skinner,  of  the  county  of  Perquimans, 
one  of  the  most  active  patriots  in  the  Albe- 
marle section.  He  was  the  son  of  Richard  Skinner,  who  died 
in  1752.  To  avoid  confusion,  we  may  here  mention  that  there 
were  at  least  two  members  of  this  family  living  in  colonial  times 
who  bore  the  name  Richard  Skinner.  One  of  these  died  in  1746. 
The  town  of  Hertford,  in  the  county  of  Perquimans,  was 
erected  by  Chapter  6  of  the  Private  Laws  of  1758,  which  was 
amended  by  Chapter  22  of  the  Private  Laws  of  1767,  and  by 
Chapter  2  of  the  Private  Laws  of  1773.  By  the  two  amendatory 
acts  last  mentioned,  William  Skinner  was  elected  one  of  the  com- 
missioners or  "directors"  of  said  town.  He  also  served  in  the 
Assembly  of  North  Carolina  during  the  colonial  period. 

In  the  Revolution  Mr.  Skinner's  first  service  appears  to  have 
been  as  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Caro- 
lina which  met  at  Hillsboro  in  August,  1775;  and  that  body 
(which  continued  its  sittings  till  the  following  month)  elected 
him  lieutenant-colonel  of  North  Carolina  militia  for  Perquimans 
County  on  September  9th.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  at  Halifax  in  April,  1776;  and  of  a  similar  body  which 


368  NORTH  CAROLINA 

held  its  sessions  at  the  same  place  in  November  and  December, 
1776.  The  last  named  Provincial  Congress  elected  him  a  Justice 
of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  for  the  county  of 
Perquimans  on  December  23,  1776.  On  the  same  day,  December 
23rd,  Congress  passed  a  resolution,  requesting  Colonel  Skinner 
to  take  into  his  possession  the  records  of  the  Inferior  Court  of 
Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  for  the  county  of  Perquimans,  and 
also  authorized  him  to  act  as  clerk  (vice  Miles  Harvey,  deceased) 
until  a  clerk  could  be  regularly  elected  by  the  justices  of  said 
court. 

On  December  20,  1777,  Colonel  Skinner  was  elected  brigadier- 
general  of  the  North  Carolina  militia  for  the  district  of  Edenton ; 
and,  at  the  same  time  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  northern 
counties  of  the  Colony.  These  two  offices  he  held  at  the 
same  time.  He  was  re-elected  treasurer  for  several  terms.  He 
was  also  commissioner  to  settle  the  accounts  of  North  Carolina 
with  the  general  Government ;  and,  on  April  25,  1778,  was  voted 
5,000  pounds  by  the  Assembly  as  compensation  for  that  service. 
The  reader  must  not  be  led  to  think  that  this  five  thousand 
pounds  was  over-generous  compensation,  for  it  was  paid  in  the 
paper  currency  of  that  day.  General  Skinner  himself  in  a  peti- 
tion (or  "remonstrance")  addressed  to  the  Assembly  on  January 
28,  1779,  complains  of  the  great  inconvenience  by  him  in  "con- 
veying great  cart-loads  of  money  through  the  country,"  so  we 
may  safely  assume  that  North  Carolina  was  adequately  supplied 
with  currency  of  its  own  manufacture. 

Having  the  good  sense  to  realize  that  his  want  of  knowledge 
in  military  matters  might  jeopardize  the  lives  of  soldiers  serving 
under  him.  General  Skinner  determined  to  resign  his  commission,, 
and  accordingly  did  so  on  May  10,  1779,  when  bodies  of  troops 
were  being  organized  to  serve  beyond  the  limits  of  the  State. 
Addressing  the  General  Assembly,  which  was  in  session  at  Smith- 
field,  in  Johnson  County,  he  said : 


"As  my  experience  in  military  matters  is  very  small,  my  continuing  in 
that  office  might,  perhaps,  be  a  public  injury,  as  well  as  fatal  to  those 


WILLIAM  SKINNER  369 

whose  lives  might  in  a  manner  depend  on  my  conduct.  For  these  rea- 
sons I  take  the  liberty  at  this  time  of  resigning  that  appointment  which 
I  heretofore  with  reluctance  accepted." 

Two  days  after  his  resignation  as  brigadier-general,  Mr.  Skin- 
ner was  once  more  elected  treasurer. 

When  a  law  was  enacted  creating  the  offices  of  district  treas- 
urer, General  Skinner  became  treasurer  of  the  district  of 
Edenton. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  so  little  is  known  of  the  per- 
sonal history  of  General  Skinner.  He  died  in  the  winter  of 
1797-98.  He  lies  buried  in  the  Yeopim  section  of  Perquimans 
County,  four  or  five  miles  from  the  town  of  Hertford,  and  a 
marble  slab  marks  his  grave.  He  was  twice  married  and  left  five 
children.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  three  daughters:  Penelope 
Skinner,  who  married  Lemuel  Creecy;  Elizabeth  Skinner,  who 
married  Josiah  Cotton;  and  Lavinia  Skinner,  who  married  Mr. 
Harvey.  The  two  children  of  General  Skinner's  second  wife 
were  William  and  Caroline  Skinner. 

When  the  first  official  census  of  the  United  States  was  compiled 
in  1790,  General  Skinner  owned  more  slaves  than  any  other  citizen 
of  Perquimans  County. 

Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


EDWARD   STANLY 

fDWARD  STANLY,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  New-Bern  in  1808.  He  was  a  son 
of  John  Stanly,  an  ardent  FederaHst  and  a 
noted  figure  in  North  Carohna  political  history. 
Edward  Stanly  was  educated  at  the  North  and 
was  graduated  from  Norwich  University  in 
1829.  He  studied  law  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  pro- 
fession in  Beaufort  County,  North  Carolina.  Soon  after  he  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Dr.  Hugh  Jones,  of  Hyde  County. 

His  success  in  his  profession  was  immediate,  but  his  ambitions 
were  political  rather  than  professional,  and  his  mind  was  soon 
turned  to  politics,  though  he  did  not  enter  political  life  actively 
for  some  time.  From  his  father  he  inherited  an  intense  hatred 
of  the  Democratic  Party,  and  consequently  he  was,  from  the  birth 
of  the  Whig  Party,  an  ardent  believer  in  and  supporter  of  its 
doctrines.  This  intense  hatred  of  the  Democratic  Party,  combined 
with  his  passionate  and  fiery  nature,  led  to  many  difficulties  with 
his  political  opponents.  He,  like  other  members  of  his  family, 
possessed  an  uncontrolled  temper  which  often  injured  him  and 
made  for  him  many  bitter  enemies.  But  like  most  similar  natures, 
he  was  possessed  of  a  wonderful  ability  to  make  warm  friends. 
Personally  he  was  attractive,  with  a  great  amount  of  magnetism, 
which  affected  even  those  who  were  not  personally  acquainted 
with  him. 


EDWARD  STANLY  371 

In  1837  he  was  elected  to  Congress  and  served  for  three  terms. 
While  there  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  ability  as  a  debater 
and  by  his  eloquence  as  a  speaker.  His  repartee  was  exceedingly 
clever,  but  so  sharp  as  to  excite  anger.  His  "Cock  Robin"  retort 
to  Mr.  Preston  was  particularly  memorable.  At  times  he  was 
very  bitter  in  his  denunciation  of  opponents,  and  in  an  attack  upon 
the  Tyler  administration  he  excelled  himself,  and  won  great  ap- 
plau